CLASSIFIED PEOPLE

A documentary by Yolande Zauberman
French with English subtitles - 1h00

 Synopsis

- Filmed clandestinely in South Africa, this film denounces the social divides and emotional scars left by Apartheid. Robert, who has always seen himself as white, sees his life turned upside down in 1948, when he is "classified" as mixed. He is subsequently disowned by his wife and children, who “remain white”. He then begins a new life with a black woman, Doris, and together they tell their tragic story with a strong bond and remarkable good humour. Having enrolled by mistake in a mixed fighting squadron in 1942, Robert finds himself "classified" as mixed and loses all of his rights as a “former white”. His story illustrates the absurdity and cruelty of this classification system based predominantly on skin colour, but also on economic and social criteria.

- Tourné clandestinement en Afrique du Sud, ce film dénonce les déchirures sociales et affectives engendrées par l’Apartheid. En 1948, la vie de Robert qui se croyait blanc, bascule. Il est « classé » métis, sa femme et ses enfants ’restés blancs’ le renient. Il refait sa vie avec Doris qui est noire et c’est ensemble qu’ils nous racontent, avec humour et complicité, leur histoire pourtant tragique. Elle illustre l’absurdité et la cruauté du système de classification qui repose sur la couleur de peau, mais aussi sur des critères économiques et sociaux.