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Goodbye Bafana

2007 · 115 min · Director: Bille August ★ IMDb 7.1 · 12,554 ratings

Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)

James Gregory once lived in a farm and had befriended a native youth, Bafana, and had even had a photograph taken with him. Years later, now married to Gloria and father of three children (Chris, Brett, and Natasha), James has nothing but shame and regret, as many South African Caucasians in the oppressive Apartheid-era ridiculed him, leading him to hate Africans. He seeks to redeem himself by spying on imprisoned African National Congress Leader, Nelson Mandela. In the restrictive high security prison his job is to censor all written and verbal communications between prisoners, their visitors, and correspondence. James is uncomfortable when he witnesses Caucasian police and security officers' brutality against civilians, including infants, and tries to understand why Nelson became a rebel. This leads him to examine the 'Freedom Charter', a banned document, reportedly known to incite violence against 'whites'. And when he does read this document, he changes his mind about Nelson's freedom struggle. Soon he, himself, will be alienated by his very own peers. Isolated, he receives death threats over the phone and has to face the trauma of the 'accidental' death of Brett. In addition, he and his family are kept under close watch by the security forces amidst tight economic sanctions by the international community, and growing unrest by the natives who continue their fight for equality, and freedom for Nelson Mandela.

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Emotional fingerprint

Goodbye Bafana (2007) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Empathy 30%, Inspiration 25%, Melancholy 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure

AI estimate · no viewer votes yet

How we measure

AI estimate

Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.

Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.

Why it feels this way

The strongest emotional signals are Empathy, Inspiration, Melancholy. Genres: Drama, History, Biography. AI estimate.

Is it worth watching?

Consider this title if you are looking for Empathy, Inspiration and Melancholy. Its IMDb rating of 7.1/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 71/100.

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Emotional journey

AI · from subtitles
  • Empathy
  • Hope
  • Sadness

Not enough subtitle evidence

No dominant emotion

Dominant emotion: Tension

Dominant emotion: Empathy

Dominant emotion: Sadness

Dominant emotion: Hope

Dominant emotion: Relief

Empathy
Hope
Sadness
Emotional journey Emotional intensity over the film’s runtime, from quieter to stronger on a fixed 0–1 scale. Hatched intervals have insufficient subtitle evidence. The table provides the values.
Ending hidden

Dominant emotion

Intensity dips around 3 %, then peaks around 48 %, then peaks around 98 %.Ending hidden

Emotional journey
%Approximate minuteDominant emotionOverall intensityEmpathyHopeSadness
2.5 %≈ 3′Tension42 %27 %0 %12 %
7.5 %≈ 9′Tension49 %38 %1 %24 %
12.5 %≈ 14′Empathy55 %48 %4 %36 %
17.5 %≈ 20′Tension60 %51 %4 %43 %
22.5 %≈ 26′Sadness69 %63 %9 %54 %
27.5 %≈ 32′Empathy68 %66 %21 %57 %
32.5 %≈ 37′Sadness61 %56 %29 %48 %
37.5 %≈ 43′Tension60 %50 %32 %35 %
42.5 %≈ 49′Empathy66 %54 %27 %34 %
47.5 %≈ 55′Tension74 %56 %14 %38 %
52.5 %≈ 60′Tension68 %54 %11 %38 %
57.5 %≈ 66′Tension55 %46 %25 %29 %
62.5 %≈ 72′Hope50 %38 %40 %16 %
67.5 %≈ 78′Hope51 %37 %41 %18 %
72.5 %≈ 83′Empathy61 %51 %43 %31 %
77.5 %≈ 89′Empathy71 %63 %52 %34 %
82.5 %≈ 95′Hope75 %65 %46 %39 %
87.5 %≈ 101′Sadness83 %73 %40 %56 %
92.5 %≈ 106′Relief86 %74 %63 %46 %
97.5 %≈ 112′Relief87 %72 %82 %30 %
Rags to riches

Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.

Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.

Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.

Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.

Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.

Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.

AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗

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Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers

Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.

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Cast

Dennis Haysbert

Nelson Mandela

SH
Shiloh Henderson

Brett Gregory

Patrick Lyster

Major Pieter Jordaan

NA
Norman Anstey

Jimmy Kruger

TP
Terry Pheto

Zindzi Mandela

ZM
Zikhona Mda

Zenani Mandela

LM
Leslie Mongezi

Walter Sisulu

FN
Faith Ndukwana

Winnie Mandela

ZM
Zingizile Mtuzula

Raymond Mhlaba

MB
Mehboob Bawa

Ahmed Kathrada

SM
Shakes Myeko

Andrew Mlangeni

SM
Sizwe Msutu

Cyril Ramaphosa

TK
Tyrone Keogh

Brent Gregory

MS
Megan Smith

Natasha Gregory

JM
Jessica Manuel

Natasha Gregory

KS
Khaya Sityo

Jonas Motsadi

WG
Warrick Grier

Vann Niekerk

CF
Clive Fox

Col. Pier Barnard

Details

Directed by
Bille August
Written by
Bille August, Greg Latter, Bob Graham, James Gregory
Type
Movies
Released
2007
Runtime
115 min
Country
Germany, France, Belgium, South Africa, Italy, United Kingdom, Luxembourg
Ratings
★ IMDb 7.1 · 12,554 ratings
Feels mostly
Empathy
Data updated

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Emotion overlap shows mood similarity, not a prediction of enjoyment.