A Dry White Season
1989 · Movie · R · 107 min · ★ 6.7 · 75% critics
Amid the 1976 Soweto uprising, a white teacher’s comfortable life is shaken when he starts asking questions about a young boy who dies in police custody. As he pushes for answers and justice, he confronts the brutality of apartheid and the risks of challenging a powerful system.
Based on A Dry White Season
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Watch free on Tubi — also streaming on MGM+.
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Details
- Years
- 1989
- Release date
- 1989-09-20
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 107 min
- Max quality
- HD
- Critic score
- 75/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.7/10 (114 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a serious, unsettling drama about moral awakening under apartheid and the cost of seeking justice; Not for you if you avoid grim violence, torture, or slow-burn intensity like Cape Fear.
Pros: powerful anti-apartheid message; strong performances; tense, angry mood | Cons: slow pace; heavy-handed moments; loses focus later
Themes
- woman director
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Supporting Actor · 1990 · nominated
Cast & crew
Donald Sutherland
as Ben du Toit
Janet Suzman
as Susan du Toit
Zakes Mokae
as Stanley Makhaya
Jürgen Prochnow
as Captain Stolz
Susan Sarandon
as Melanie Bruwer
Marlon Brando
as Ian McKenzie
Winston Ntshona
as Gordon Ngubene
Thoko Ntshinga
as Emily Ngubene
Leonard Maguire
as Bruwer
Gerard Thoolen
as Colonel Viljoen
Directed by Euzhan Palcy