Invictus

This is one of my favorite films that came out last year. The movie is a true story about the country of South Africa and its political and social system of apartheid. This system segregated the majority of the population which was black, from the whites, who dominated the governmental system in South Africa. The movie begins with Nelson Mandela's release after decades in jail. He was an inspirational civil rights protester in South Africa who was put in jail for it. After his release he immediately did everything in his power to bring an end to the apartheid which initiated the first democratic election in South Africa. This allowed the black majority to vote, leading to Nelson Mandela becoming the first African American to be President of South Africa in 1994. In the beginning of his term as president, he helped to resolve some of the problems in South Africa such as unemployment and high crime rates.

Nelson Mandela (played by Morgan Freeman) still knew that he had to do everything he could do to unite the whites and blacks in the country. After attending a Rugby Union Game played by their mainly white rugby team known as the Springboks, he realized how the predominantly Black viewers at the game all cheered against their own team. After finding out that South Africa was scheduled to host the 1995 Rugby World Cup, that upcoming year, he knew he had to take advantage of that moment and talk to the Captain of the team, Francois Pienaar (played by Matt Damon), to discuss how his team can help him unite their country through rugby. Mandela does not tell Francis Pienaar the true meaning behind their meeting, but he soon figures it out for himself. He also shows him a poem called "Invictus" which he says helps to give him the strength to "stand when all he wanted to do was lie down”. What Nelson Mandela was trying to emphasize to the captain was that if the Springboks can gain the support of Black South Africans and succeed in the upcoming Rugby World Cup, the country will be unified and inspired to exceed its expectations. The movie escalates from here so I won't ruin the rest for you. If you haven't seen Invictus yet then you better go out and rent it. Here’s a little preview of it for you to watch:"Invictus Movie Trailer". Trust me, you'll love it!