Today’s coverage of the elections in South Africa in the New York Times evinces all kinds of pessimism in a political process that continually rewards the African National Congress no matter how low their approval ratings fall. After all, when you liberate a country from apartheid, you’re pretty much guaranteed positive name associations no matter how inept you become. For a more complete understanding of South African politics past, present and fictional, we suggest these 10 Movies About (the Lack of) Democracy in South Africa.

Tsotsi (2006)

A little manipulative, perhaps (nobody’s better at pulling hear strings than a kidnapped baby), but also incredibly entertaining and moving.

Cry Freedom (1987)

The Steve Biko story gets its journalist-detective big-screen drama adaptation.

Cry, The Beloved Country (1995)

James Earl Jones and Richard Harris in a corrupting city story.

Duma (2005)

Who says political strife and humanitarian disaster can’t be adapted into a kid-and-animal adventure?

Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)

Who says political strife and humanitarian disaster can’t be adapted into an American blockbuster franchise?

Proteus (2003)

Who says political strife and humanitarian disaster can’t be adapted to include true stories from gay history?

Goodbye Bafana (2007)

No list on South Africa would be complete without a Nelson Mandela narrative, represented here by the story of a racist white prison guard whose life was changed forever by the inmate he watched over.

A World Apart (1988)

Tough growing up in a family of lefty whities when everyone in your suburban compound is a rabid racist.

Red Dust (2004)

Legacies of physical and mental torture exposed and excised in this courtroom drama (with Hilary Swank and Chiwetel Ejiofor!).

Boy Called Twist (2004)

Yep, Dickens’ Twist re-cast in Cape Town.