‘I need to know that there is some sort of justice operating in this world.’ So says Laura, a 59-year-old woman who was sexually assaulted in her home in Johannesburg, South Africa t wo days before Christmas in 1989. The story of Laura’s horrible rape and disfigurement is just the starting point of this film. It becomes the stepping stone for a greater understanding of rape, its consequences and its repercussions for society –specifically South African society, whose many misconceptions about sex, rape, and AIDS often get tied up together.
At first, Laura’s friends and family deny and then misunderstand the terrible tragedy that befalls her. But her subsequent descent into depression and her ultimate redemption through the efforts of her daughter bring many important issues to light. Her daughter, film-m a ker Cathy Henkel, realizes after many years that the only way to help her mother heal is to try to bring her justice — in a country that is just beginning to confront its need to provide justice to all its citizens in a post-Apartheid world. The Man Who Stole My Mother’s Fa c e is a sobering tale of survival, strength, healing, and redemption.
Cathy Henkel will discuss The Man Who Stole My Mothers Face following the screening on Saturday October 2nd. Hosted by Barrie Dowdall .