Mandela is Idris Elba’s best performance yet and he has achieved to clone Madiba’s personality so well, convincing you all the way by embodying his persona and imitating his accent perfectly. Naome Harris has given a brilliant performance as Winnie Madikizela imbibing her spirit when locked away in solitary confinement for 16 months. Mandela is a biopic that dwells on the personal strife of Nelson Mandela, one of the greatest revolutionaries of our era who liberated South Africa from apartheid. It revolves around the hardships faced by Mandela and his family. From having his wife isolated in solitary confinement to losing his son in a car accident, Nelson Mandela’s stay in was permeated with tribulations.

The beginning of the film takes into account Madiba’s coming of age and his pursuit of becoming a lawyer which slowly transitions into him becoming an active member of the African National Congress. The landscape shots of Africa in this section of the movie are mesmerizing. Lol Crawley, the cinematographer has done a phenomenal job designing the scenes. The landscape shots filmed in South Africa itself leave you momentarily paralyzed with sheer awe. The film conveys the emotion it is carrying beautifully through to the viewer and at several moments one finds the self drowned in the sadness of the characters on screen.

The crew has been very successful in recreating the stark background of South Africa in the 1960’s, portraying the poverty and the cruel nature of segregation aptly. A disappointing aspect of the film is the obliviously artificial makeup they have used to age the character of Elba. The film’s editor Rick Russell has done a fantastic job at sewing up the scenes together seamlessly, keeping the visual narrative very aesthetic.

Personally I enjoyed the fact that the screenplay chose to portray Nelson Mandela not just as a great revolutionary but also brought to light his abusive past with his first wife who he later abandoned. This gives us a holistic perspective of his life. As a tribute, this film has done justice and will educate the future minds about a hero of the past, a gross violation of human rights, a revolution that changed an entire nation, and the power of a united people.

The film runs on for 141 minutes but keep your intrigue building right till the end. Director Justin Chadwick has done a brilliant job at converting Nelson Mandela’s biography into a wholesome film which everyone must watch.