Director August once had a knack for telling stories of adolescent bonds, and he makes good use of one childhood flashback and a scene in which Bafana and Mandela blend into one person. For a moment, he achieves a balance the rest of the film lacks.

Sincere as it patently is, and perfectly competently made, Goodbye Bafana progresses through the last years of the apartheid regime at a snail's pace.

The script is lumpen and prosaic, the performances so-so, and the passage of the years deeply unconvincing.

The film is most interesting when showing the ignorance of the Afrikaners. The film falters when trying to address the complexities of the political issues.