Final Solution (R) (110 min.) - South Africa's apartheid era is the backdrop for a story of redemption, as an Afrikaner racist named Gerrit Wolfhaardt sees the error of his ways, with some spiritual assistance. The story, for the most part, is true. The religious importance has been downplayed to better appeal to secular audiences.
Final Solution is written and directed by Cristobal Krusen, 51, a Tampa native whose born-again experience doesn't preclude making a harshly authentic film. This is a more subtle type of screen sermon than moviegoers might expect after Bible-thumping cinema such as Left Behind and The Omega Code. Mainstream audiences can expect a gripping tale well acted with solid production values.
(For an interview with Krusen, see Friday's Floridian.)
The film begins during the final year of apartheid, when racists clung desperately to their diminishing influence. One Afrikaner responsible for a drive-by shooting in a black township escapes into a church for safety. The cleric (John Kani) won't hand him over to a mob. Instead, the villain hears an older, wiser Wolfhaardt (Jan Ellis) tell how he changed his ways.
The cross-generational drama gets a charge from the fictional link of a black man (Mpho Lovinga) who once was Wolfhaardt's victim and now is part of his literally captive audience. The key theme is forgiveness, certainly one familiar to Christians, but depicted in a fashion that seems more a matter of personal choice than theological pressure.
Krusen's film takes too long to get on track with Wolfhaardt's story and becomes too neatly melodramatic at the climax. But it's a smartly imagined production benefiting greatly by being filmed on location in South Africa. It also helps that Krusen chose to make the violence look horrible, something that other faith-themed filmmakers would be too timid to try.
Final Solution opens Friday for one week only at Channelside Cinemas in Tampa, unless Krusen's play for mass appeal works and ticket sales warrant another week. B
