Bram Fischer

The film Bram Fischer tells the story of the eponymous South African lawyer who defended Nelson Mandela and his comrades during the Rivonia Trial. While the film strives for historical accuracy, it sometimes lacks the dramatic tension needed to fully engage the viewer. This is partly due to the filmmakers' commendable choice to avoid exaggeration, but the result occasionally feels flat and emotionally distant.

Another point of criticism is the tacit promotion of communism as the liberator of apartheid. While it is understandable that certain anti-apartheid activists adhered to communist ideology, the film offers little to no space for critical reflection on this ideology. Communism, however idealistic it may be portrayed, can only exist through the suppression of dissent, a problematic aspect of this ideology that remains unaddressed.

All in all, Bram Fischer is a well-intentioned biographical film that could have benefited from more depth and nuance in its treatment of its themes.