Out on DVD

SKIN (Cert. 12, out 5 October)

Sophie Okonedo, Sam Neill and Alice Krige, dir. Anthony Fabian, Cert. 12 -

Monkey Score: 78%

What it's about:

SKIN is based on the extraordinary true story of Sandra Laing, a black child born in 1950s South Africa to white Afrikaners. The film follows their 30-year struggle to find acceptance in a society living under apartheid.

What Movie Monkeys thought:

SKIN is both moving and thought-provoking, at least for those of us old enough to remember Apartheid as more than a history lesson. Watching SKIN brought back memories of Steven Biko and Nelson Mandela, and their fight for an equal society in South Africa - but the film's powerful punch comes from the Laing family not the politics. Imagine mom and dad, white Afrikaners, supporters of the Apartheid, being torn between the love for their daughter and the society they belong to. The fact that Sandra's story is barely romanticised in the film makes it even more poignant, and while you feel for Sandra it is her parents' hurt that stays with you long after the end credits have rolled. Alice Krige's Sannie Laing goes through feelings no mother should ever have to endure, constantly having to assert her faithfulness to her husband, torn between an obvious love for her little girl, knowledge that her daughter can never be at peace with who she is and the guilt of not being able to keep her out of emotional harm's way. 'She's not the only one who suffered', she says, trying to justify her feelings, and that is quite believable. While the science bit behind Sandra's story is a statistical reality, its impact on a family couldn't be brought to life with more weight than in 1950s South Africa, where it was actually illegal for white and coloured people to live under the same roof. Not to be missed.

Blind Dating (Cert. 15, out 05 October)

Served by a strong cast - Star Trek's Chris Pine, Wedding Crashers' Jane Seymour and American Pie's Eddie Kaye Thomas - Blind Dating is a competent rom-com. It tells the story of a blind young man who falls for an Indian girl promised to another man, after a series of disastrous dates fixed by his brother. The film has the "rom" with a sweet tale of star-crossed lovers, and the "com" with very funny fish-out-of-water moments. It's all been done before - try East is East for the Asian/Western culture clash, and At First Sight for the dating while blind bit - but what Blind Dating lacks in originality it makes up for with humble pretentions and genuinely funny moments.

Chuggington: Action Station (Cert. U, out 05 October)

Chuggington is a town were all travel takes place by rail and where the heroes of the stories are engines. Sounds familiar? The resemblance with a certain really useful crew stops at the premise: Chuggington is a bang up to date take on the theme, with a modern look and feel and not a single fat controller in sight. Pre-schoolers can identify with the 3 young trainees as they practice being proper chuggers, while older kids will enjoy the more experienced crew. Chuggington has pace, vivid storylines and a great bunch of characters - while it won't give you a rush of childhood nostalgia your little ones are likely to enjoy this immensely. A good choice to keep the kids entertained on a rainy autumn afternoon!