Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Sobering musical about apartheid includes brutal violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Sarafina!
What's the Story?
Sarafina (Leleti Khumalo) is a typical high school teen growing up in Soweto under the apartheid regime. She dreams of fame and hopes for a bright future. Many of her classmates and friends tire of chafing under the oppression and begin to demand change. After some students set fire to the school, military police arrive with guns to patrol the school and maintain order. Encouraged by their history teacher, Miss Masembuko (Whoopi Goldberg), the teens continue to speak out and actively protest. Sarafina struggles to find her own way forward in turbulent times, eventually getting caught up in events that change her, and the path she chooses, forever.
Is It Any Good?
SARAFINA! creates an odd juxtaposition between a harsh look at a brutal chapter in South Africa's history and musical numbers with Bollywood-style choreography. More deftly woven together, the two aspects of the movie could have created a more powerful and fuller picture of the people and events toward the end of apartheid. But the music and dance are essentially abandoned by the middle third and leave the viewer a bit perplexed by what exactly the filmmakers were trying to accomplish.
Structural flaws aside, Sarafina! tells a powerful story through the eyes of an engaging heroine today's teens will easily relate to thanks to Khumato's strong performance. Whoopi Goldberg no doubt brought a lot of Hollywood star power to the project at the time but now creates a slightly dated feel: It's not her strongest performance, and she doesn't quite pull off the accent. But it's a thought-provoking story worth telling and watching because it asks important questions teens will have to answer for themselves, about how to achieve social justice and about why oppression and rebellion are sadly as relevant today as they were when Nelson Mandela was still in jail.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the struggle for social justice at home and around the world. How are the histories of race relations in, for example, the U.S. and South Africa similar? What are the differences?
Is violence ever justified? What if you lived like the people in Soweto under threats and intimidation all the time? What if you or your loved ones were tortured? Why does Sarafina throw the rifle away?
Did you like the musical numbers in the movie? Why do you think they're included? What would the movie be like without them?
Movie Details
- In theaters : September 18, 1992
- On DVD or streaming : June 4, 2002
- Cast : Leleti Khumalo , Whoopi Goldberg
- Director : Darrell Roodt
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studios : BBC , Miramax , Distant Horizons
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Activism , School ( High School ) , History
- Run time : 117 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : Scenes of apartheid-driven violence
- Award : NAACP Image Award - NAACP Image Award Nominee
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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