Between Joyce and Remembrance

When the family of Siphiwo Mtimkulu, a black South African activist who died during the years of apartheid, finally buried him, all they had was a bundle of hair. In 1981, South African security forces captured, tortured, and poisoned Siphiwo. When he was finally released—too ill to walk, with his hair falling out from the poison—Siphiwo sued the police for mistreatment, but disappeared soon afterward, presumably killed by security forces. Following Siphiwo's parents (his mother is the Joyce in the title) and children from 1995 to 2003, Between Joyce and Remembrance (which is an extended version of filmmaker Mark J. Kaplan's Where Truth Lies [VL-1/01]) intimately portrays the legacy of oppression, violence, and loss in South Africa. Kaplan, a white South African, skillfully combines material from a wide array of sources, including footage of Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings, historical photographs and recordings, dramatic recreations of Siphiwo's detention, and interviews with Siphiwo's friends and family. Kaplan also talks with Gideon Nieuwoudt, a former colonel in the security forces who is implicated in, if not directly responsible for, the mistreatment and murder of Siphiwo. Because Nieuwoudt applied for amnesty, however, he remains a free man. In one powerful scene, Nieuwoudt visits Siphiwo's family to ask forgiveness, but his inability to accept responsibility for his crimes undermines the spirit of reconciliation, spurring a sudden act of violence from Siphiwo's son. A powerful look at the long, difficult process of healing for the Mtimkulu family and for South Africa, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (J. Wadland)