Journey to Grace: The Hansie Cronje Story (2008)

"How do you start over once you have betrayed a nation's trust?" The news of Hansie Cronjé's involvement with Indian bookmakers and his resulting public confession rocked the international sporting community. An unprecedented rise to glory was followed by the most horrific fall. A tarnished hero fueled the nation's fury. Hansie, once South African cricket's golden boy, had been stripped of everything he had held dear: a glorious captaincy, the support of his former team mates and the respect of a nation. In its place the stinging rejection of cricket administrators and the humiliating dissection of his life on international television, made his retreat into depression inevitable. Hansie's bravest moment in finally confessing his involvement with bookies had suddenly become a tightening noose around his neck. Hansie explores the very human drama of a man who, after losing everything he has worked for, begins the painstaking journey back to choosing "life". The journey is cathartic. We celebrate with him in his glorious victories on the cricket field but by the same token, we feel the agony of his dishonor and the relief when he finally forgives himself, weeping in the arms of his friend and mentor, Peter Pollock. Amidst the darkness of his downfall, we are inspired by the power his wife's unswerving love, which shines like a beacon of hope. Hansie's journey takes us to South Africa, India and England and his team's fiercest battles are against the mighty Australians. The movie is enlivened through the cultural diversity of its backdrop, with the colors of India, its rambling buildings and beautiful sunsets, adding a notable poignancy to the drama. Like us, Hansie is both glorious and flawed and like him we recognize our need for acceptance and love. Hansie is a movie that will captivate with its human drama, its action-packed sequences and its riveting match-fixing intrigue. But above all the movie will reassure you of the ability of us all to overcome life's difficulties with grace and dignity.