Acclaimed South African playwright and activist Athol Fugard collaborated with director John Berry on this extraordinary and truly cinematic adaptation of Fugard’s classic play. Evicted from their shantytown, a South African couple (Glover and Bassett, in outstanding performances) treks the dusty roads outside Cape Town in search of a better existence. They piece together a makeshift dwelling on a squalid patch of wasteland and continue the verbal and physical abuse that defines their relationship. The arrival of a Xhosa tribesman pits Boesman’s stinginess against Lena’s compassion, tipping the balance of their love-hate relationship and ultimately changing their lives.

A Beckett-like study of the anxieties of human existence, the film, on another level, is a powerful indictment of the rootlessness and loss of dignity brought on by apartheid. Berry, a victim of the Hollywood blacklist, died tragically within days of completing the production; Boesman and Lena stands as a magnificent testament to his artistry and political commitment.