J.M. Coetzee’s controversial novel, Disgrace, which won both the Booker Prize and the Nobel Prize for Literature, has been adapted into a film by Australian filmmaker Steve Jacobs and screenwriter Anna-Maria Monticelli. Brigid Olen of DO Productions, the South African production company behind the film, says that it’s a movie to be proud of.

The ANC said the book was racist, but Brigid says people need to make up their own minds. “That’s the beauty of this movie. After watching it, people are left shellshocked for a while, but then break into conversation. It’s a startling film that lingers for long afterwards. It’s also an awkward film to watch. The prickliness is very real. Everyone has a different perception about what it means for them.”

Disgrace is about the painful journey of David Lurie (Academy Award-winner John Malkovich), a Cape Town professor who is forced to resign after an embarrassing indiscretion with a student. He seeks refuge at his daughter’s farm in the Eastern Cape, only to witness his daughter’s own disgrace after a brutal home invasion.

Readers of the novel will know that Disgrace is an inherently South African story, yet neither the director nor the leading man is South African. “A lot of research was done to make sure the film was as authentic as possible. Steve has a very thorough understanding of the history of the country, and so to an extent, does John. He worked hard on his accent,” Brigid says. “There was some Australian influence in this movie, because this is not a purely South African cast, but it was very important that there was a sense of authenticity to this project. The author J.M. Coetzee gave his approval throughout the script process. He was very content with the film.”

In many ways, the film was a joint venture between Australia and South Africa and features an internationally-acclaimed production team that includes director of photography Steve Arnold (La Spagnola, Terra Nova, Manthing); production designers Mike Berg (Consequence, Promised Land, Boy Called Twist) and Annie Beauchamp (Strange Planet); and the editing talents of Alexandre De Franceschi (Little Fish, In the Cut).

South African actress Jessica Haines (Home Affairs, White Wedding) plays David’s daughter Lucy. She had to capture a strong character who exemplifies the post-Apartheid white woman. 

Brigid says, “Jessica has such an extraordinary quality about her. As soon as he saw her, Steve knew she had the mettle to play the part. We knew the audience had to be sympathetic to this character, and we knew intrinsically that she could carry it off.”

Another important aspect of the film is the setting. “It was essential to the storyline that the movie be shot in South Africa,” says Brigid. “We chose the Cedarberg and Citrusdale areas, which were really incredibly beautiful locations that really mimicked the Eastern Cape scenery of the novel. It’s a magnificent landscape. We built a house in the valley that was just timeless. In a way the setting was a character in itself.”

Shooting commenced in February 2007 in Cape Town for two weeks, before moving to Cedarburg for three weeks, and back to Cape Town for two more weeks, with a final week in Sydney, Australia. The film was shot entirely in South Africa and Australia.

Disgrace is an independent film, and as such, doesn’t carry a large budget. “No independent film ever does,” muses Brigid. The film was financed by the Film Finance Corporation Australia, Newbridge Film Capital, Whitest Pouring Films, the New South Wales Film and Television Office and the South Australian Film Corporation.

Despite the fact that it hasn’t yet been released worldwide, the film has already received international recognition, winning the Fipresci Critics Award at the Toronto Film Festival, the Black Pearl Award for best picture at the Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) in Abu Dhabi and the grand prize for new talent at the Taiwan Film Festival, a coup for the Australian director who won the film rights over more established directors. Early reviews have been favourable, praising Steve Jacob’s for his successful adaptation of such a disturbing novel.

UIP is releasing Disgrace in South Africa on 14 August 2009.

Watch the trailer here.

Sally Fink