Mandela's very long Walk to Freedom

I was not ready for an emotional history lesson of the last century in South Africa. I considered myself somewhat educated about this part of modern world history, but that was barely enough to prepare me for this impressive documentary. Over 141 minutes, it chronicles Nelson Mandela's life journey from his rural childhood through to his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa. Idris Elba is totally convincing as Mandela, and while he was a stunning and talented young lawyer, his body language relaxed with age and as he acquired wisdom and patience. I was so impressed by the chemistry between Nelson and Winnie (Naomie Harris) and convinced by the way their long physical separation drove them apart emotionally and ideologically as the older Mandela had become more conciliatory while she remained staunchly radical, almost as if stuck in a time warp. Despite the massive historical lesson shared, I was inspired by Mandela's humanity, and amazed at the challenges his wives and children faced. I began to appreciate his transformation and ability to transform fear into forgiveness and a deeper, committed search for peace. Somehow I could see a similarity with my favourite role model, the Dalai Lama...