Movie of the Week: Invictus

Invictus was released in 2009. A biographical sports film directed by decorated director Clint Eastwood. It starred Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as the captain of Springboks, South Africa’s national rugby union team.

The story is based on the 2008 John Carlin book “Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela” and “The Game That Made a Nation” about the events in South Africa before and during the 1995 Rugby World Cup. 

The Springboks were not expected to perform well, the team having only recently returned to high-level international competition following the dismantling of apartheid—the country was hosting the World Cup, thus earning an automatic entry. What happens next makes a compelling and intense movie co-relating to Mandela’s own lifelong struggle.

François Pienaar (Matt Damon) finds his teammates torn apart by nearly 50 years of racial tensions, as for many black people, especially the radicals, the Springboks symbolized white supremacy. Both Mandela and Pienaar, however, stand firmly behind their theory that the game can successfully unite the South African country.

It not only unites the sports fraternity, but also becomes a beacon of hope for the nation’s new future.

Invictus refers to the Roman divine epithet Invictus and may be translated from Latin as "undefeated" or "unconquered". "Invictus" The film was met with positive critical reviews and earned Academy and Golden Globe Awards nominations for Freeman (Best Actor), Damon (Best Supporting Actor) and Eastwood (Best Director, Golden Globe only).