The movie is going to be made to be a historic drama that is designed to display the apartheid in South Africa through the eyes of your character, Mandisa. Just like in the novel, in the movie Mandisa will play the narrator of the emotional and breathtaking story. She is the mother of one of the teenage boys involved in the murder of Amy Biehl. She tells the story of her and her son’s life, and also speaks on what she sees as a colonized society that allowed, and also was responsible for the violence in South Africa, as well as impoverished black South Africans.
The story is told in a partial letter formatting, using a large amount of flashbacks, even though the actual time covered by the story is only two days. The letter is to be written to Amy Biehl’s mother. The other part is somewhat of a private confession from Mandisa. This is an interesting fact because what I than began to wonder while reading this book was if the letter or confession was ever really sent to the mother of Amy Biehl. Many people say that the story is an apology to the mother of Amy Biehl. However, it is displayed as more of an explanation of why her daughter was killed and that it could have been any white woman at the time. It also is to show how society has allowed and fueled violence and South Africa, and to show the extent of what that has done. Mandisa does ask for forgiveness from God, but this is never written down into the letter. “God, you know my heart. I am not saying my child shouldn’t be punished for his sin. But I am a mother, with a mother’s heart. The cup You have given me is too bitter to sallow. The shame. The hurt of the other mother. The young woman whose tender life was cut so cruelly short. God, please forgive my son. Forgive him for this terrible, terrible sin.” (Sindiwe Magona 4) This is the private prayer of Mandisa that shows how she truly feels which is sadness and she feels it for both races which is important. This passage sticks out to me as well for the mother relation. She feels for the mother, as I am sure she hopes the other mother may feel for her even though her son killed her daughter.
Sindiwe Magona begins the novel with the strong opening of “My son killed your daughter.” (Sindiwe Magona 1) There is no salutation, greeting, or anything; it is a very harsh, but honest opening line. Mandisa is fully aware of the situation and events that have occurred. She is also aware of her son’s, Mxolisi, inadequacies, and is not unaware that he has turned into somebody that she is unable to control. Her background is very straight forward. She comes from a family history that does not seem to have much hope for the future, poor and not very well educated. This showed how blacks’ lifestyle in South Africa had become poor under the dominant white society. This ignited many problems and much hatred within the black community against the whites. This is what Mandisa believes lead to be the main cause of her son murdering Amy Biehl. Mandisa does not come off as a woman that is not especially a racist; however, she does not really seem as one that is either. I think that she may have a stronger resentment towards whites then a truly indifferent person, nevertheless. Her ‘non-indifference’ towards white people is seen at different times throughout the novel, but perhaps most clearly at the end. “For that is what he had become at the time when he killed your daughter. My son was only an agent, executing the long simmering dark desires of his race. Burning hatred for the oppressor possessed his being…The resentment of three hundred years plugged his ears; deaf to her pitiful entreaties.” (Magona 210) Mandisa never tells the audience that she does not ‘like’ white people, although the reader may jump to the conclusion due to the strong word choice of Mandisa all through the book. While on screen I would like for you to find ways to display your frustration with situation, without making it overbearingly obvious to the audience.
My favorite attribute of Mandisa is that she can be very straight forward with people. She reminds me of an old kind of bitter grandmother that always has an unnecessary yet humorous comment about everything. This is very common now-a-days and I would really like for this to be played up in the screenplay without trying to make the movie too much like a comedy.
You may be able to find many ways to relate to this character. Her personality is amusing in a strange way; she is street smart, skilled, compassionate and strong-minded. She and her people have experienced many and great injustices, extreme poverty, abuses both personal and institutional. She uses her personal strength to battle with both the political aftermath and with a mother’s unimaginable grief over the loss of two children: her own son and the young woman that he has killed.
Once again I would like to thank you for joining on with our project My Son Killed Your Daughter. I would hope that the background, analysis and tidbits I have provided you with are enough to help with your becoming of the character of Mandisa.
Sincerely,
Jenessa White
Works Cited
Magona, Sindiwe. Mother to Mother. New York: Beacon P, 2000.
