Educational Media Reviews Online

Story of a Beautiful Country is a personal examination of today’s diverse South Africa through the eyes of its citizens. Filmmaker Khalo Matabane tours his country in a utility vehicle, using a hand held camera to capture a broad variety of perspectives regarding this “new” country from an even broader group of participants.

Matabane interviews an engaging assortment of fellow South Africans, and travels through both urban and rural communities. Each person seems to be comfortable expressing their views, and is treated with openness whether the filmmaker is listening to a young black urban professional, an armed Boer farmer, or a mixed-race married couple.

The film offers a unique opportunity for the viewer to gain awareness of South Africa through everyday people in an intimate fashion. The casual approach to filming adds to the program’s appeal rather than compromising the production values. While this reviewer recommends the program and feels it would be a valuable addition to most library collections, there is one point that needs to be made. While some of the interviews take place with the participant standing beside the vehicle and being filmed through the window, the majority of the interviews occur with the participant in the back seat while Matabane films from the front seat. This results in a program that is for the most part viewed while “riding backwards”. As someone with a propensity for motion sickness, I found myself having to look away from the program and limit myself to listening only. This doesn’t detract from the value of the film’s content, but might make a difference for some viewers.