Plot for Peace, 2013.
Directed by Carlos Agulló and Mandy Jacobson.
SYNOPSIS:
A documentary that reveals the untold story of apartheid’s fall, and the mysterious French businessman who was instrumental in Nelson Mandela’s release from jail.
Originally released in France in November last year, Plot for Peace is an intriguing documentary about an inconspicuous businessman named Jean-Yves Ollivier, whose mild-mannered dabbling in African politics helped avert crises, end apartheid and free Nelson Mandela.
Ollivier, a French-Algerian, made a fortune trading cereal, oil and coal around Europe and Africa, and, as the documentary reveals, used his extensive contacts and influence during the 1980s in an attempt to end apartheid and assist in bringing peace to Africa. The continent was heavily divided, not only over apartheid in South Africa, but politically: this was the height of the Cold War and many African states were Marxist or Communist.
The documentary begins quietly, with Ollivier playing Solitaire, before showing shocking archival footage depicting the state of affairs around South Africa at the time with scenes of conflict and oppression. Director Mandy Jacobson, who has made several documentaries about Mandela and African apartheid, was instrumental in gathering this great archival footage, while co-director Carlos Agullo does a splendid job of presenting this story in an engrossing manner. Known mainly for editing action and horror movies, Agullo’s direction gives the film the pacing and feel of a political thriller, which manages to draw the viewer in. While the documentary is written by historian Stephen Smith, this is not a dry, analytical documentary but an engaging one.
The image of Ollivier playing Solitaire is repeated throughout the film, and the game is used as a metaphor for Ollivier’s attempt to create order from chaos and his ability to adapt to changing situations: quite literally playing the hand he was dealt.
The documentary mostly consists of interviews with political figures from the period, who were often personally involved, rather than historians or journalists merely looking back and commenting on events. These interviews, gathered by the directors Carlos Aguilo and Mandy Jacobson, are particularly engrossing. Meanwhile, Ollivier himself narrates these proceedings in a calm, unassuming manner and explains how he, well, plotted for peace.
The film covers the later stages of the Angolan civil war during the 1980s, specifically the 1987 hostage exchange which was orchestrated by Ollivier and which led to an independent Namibia, creating an environment where apartheid could be more easily resolved. The documentary does a good job of explaining these events, and required no previous knowledge of South African affairs to understand.
While the documentary spends a great deal of screen-time on these scenes, it glosses over how they directly affected apartheid, and the actually end of apartheid and the release of Nelson Mandela is dealt with in the last few minutes of the film. Considering how short the documentary, at just 93 minutes, this is a missed opportunity.
Similarly, despite Ollivier and others telling us how important he was to these events, the film itself may be of more interest to historians studying the wider Cold War and African history, rather than those looking for a new angle on Apartheid and the life of Nelson Mandela. It certainly does a good job of encouraging the audience to want to further research into the period.
The film raises also raises several interesting ideas. One could derive a strong Objectivist/Capitalist message from how a driven individual like Ollivier can succeed where politicians like Jacques Chirac failed; one interviewee points questions the democratic merit (or lack thereof) for the kind of parallel-diplomacy practiced by someone like Ollivier, who is ostensibly answerable to no one, but it is hard to argue with the results.
Ollivier is a charming character, but whether a whole film was needed to tell his story is debatable. Furthermore, the absence of Nelson Mandela himself, who passed away in December last year, in the documentary is noticeable: Ollivier has expressed regret over his stubbornness in refusing to make this documentary for several years, if he had agreed earlier Mandela may have been well enough to be included.
From a technical perspective, the film is a standout: the film editing is great; scenes of modern day Africa are shot and scored like a serious political thriller; the mix of war footage and archival news is good; the historical content is credible and high quality. Overall, it is well worth watching for students of history and political theory, or want to be introduced to South African history.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Luke Graham is a writer and works in newspaper production. If you enjoyed this review, follow him @LukeWGraham and check out his blog here.
Originally published March 24, 2014. Updated April 12, 2018.
