Based on the novel by J.M. Coetzee, Disgrace opens with Prof David Lurie (John Malkovich) coercing a student into sleeping with him. He's then forced to apologise or resign, chooses the latter option and moves from Cape Town out to his daughter's farm in the South African countryside. While there he grudgingly gets involved with a volunteer vet and his complacent attitude is shattered when 3 youths break into his daughter's home and attack her.
boring...
I'm starting this review on the negative side as I didn't find much to recommend this rather bland movie. I haven't read the book, so I don't know whether that affects my understanding, but once the film ended I had an overwhelming feeling of 'what was the point?'. I'm puzzled about what message, if any, the film was trying to convey. Part of the fault must surely be down to Malkovich's sullen performance, although I suppose that is the character. Lurie is unapologetic for being a sexual predator and abusing his position at the university to sleep with a student, and then he's rude and obnoxious when he encounters his daughter Lucy's (Jessica Haines) friends. When the attach on the farmhouse happens, he is beaten and left unconscious in the toilet while Lucy is raped in the next room, although she is very reluctant to discuss events and her anger towards her father for doing nothing while it happened simmers slowly, fracturing their relationship. Disgrace features no likable or interesting characters, and no discernable point.
but...
An Australian movie filmed in South Africa, the location shooting features some stunning cinematography of African vistas.
briefly...
Not offensive, just uninteresting and uninvolving, Disgrace is simply boring.
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