Overlooked in last year’s slew of Africa-set movies, Goodbye Bafana is based on the true story of the friendship between Nelson Mandela (Denis Haysbert) and his prison guard ( Joseph Fiennes) during the former’s 18-year internment at Robben Island. But ultimately Bille August’s film only highlights the lack of a definitive Mandela biopic. And while there are some good performances, it lacks the emotional punch that another director might have wrung from the material.
