Shawn Slovo, daughter of the anti-apartheid activists Joe Slovo and Ruth First, wrote the award-winning film, A World Apart, which was released in 1988, a memoir of her girlhood when her mother was in prison.

Now she has written the story of Patrick Chamusso who went to South Africa from Mozambique as a 15 year old, worked hard in the mines and rose to be foreman in a refinery.  When arrested for sabotage of the refinery and tortured, as was his wife, he became bitter against the South African regime and the Security forces, went to train with the ANC in Mozambique and Angola and returned to blow up the refinery.  He was arrested and served ten years on Robbin Island.

There have been many films highlighting the hardships and the atrocities of the apartheid era.  One thinks of the story of Steve Biko and Donald Woods in Cry Freedom, the court cases in A Dry White Season, the American reporter in Country of my Skull.

One complaint by social activists is that these films, geared for a Western audience, focus on white characters or characters from the West as well as black.  Catch a Fire offers a balance with its story of Patrick Chamusso.  The white characters are Afrikaaners, especially the security officer, played by Tim Robbins.

Australian Phillip Noyce discussed his suitability as director with Chumasso who told him that there was an advantage in the story being told by an outsider.  Noyce has shown interest in race issues from the time of his short film Backroads (1977)  to his world-acclaimed Rabbit Proof Fence (2002).  As a craftsman with both Australian (Newsfront, Heatwave, Dead Calm) and American (Patriot Games and A Clear and Present Danger) experience, he is able to tell a story with excitement along with passion for the issues.

Patrick Chumasso is a decent man, able to support his wife and family, but is not a saint. 

He has another child to support.  In doing this secretly, he becomes entangled in the accusations of sabotage and interrogation by the Security officials – including a rather bizarrely quiet and surface-friendly scene where he is invited to eat with the official and his family.

Humiliating treatment and torture change his whole attitude and he sees himself as a freedom fighter while the government brands him a terrorist.  This raises the perennial issue of the difference between a member of the resistance in war, a freedom fighter and a terrorist.  We have seen in the 20th century how yesterday’s resistance member or terrorist can become tomorrow’s statesman and politician, be it in France, Israel, Palestine or in the countries of Africa.  The parallels with contemporary problem areas are quite clear whether they be in Iraq or in the border stations between Israel and Gaza.

The film is involving, evokes some responses of outrage.  But, it finishes with the actual Patrick Chumasso appearing genially along with the actor who portrayed him so well, Derek Luke (Antwone Fisher).  Chumasso reflects on his time on Robbin Island, the impact of Nelson Mandela, the end of apartheid and the impact of the whole movement for Truth and Reconciliation which is marked, as is Chumasso, by the spirit of forgiveness along with hope for the future.

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