Disgrace is a 2008 film adaptation of J.M. Coetzee's book of the same name. Directed by Steve Jacobs and starring John Malkovich, it tells the story of David Lurie, a middle-aged white South African professor who loses everything after having an affair with one of his students.
The film is set in post-apartheid South Africa, where the country is undergoing a period of political and social upheaval. Lurie is a classicist scholar who is fascinated by the works of the romantic poets and spends his days teaching at a Cape Town university. He is also a former Cape Town resident who has been ostracized by his colleagues for his open criticism of their political affiliations.
After his affair with a young and vulnerable student is discovered, Lurie is fired from his job and begins a long journey of self-discovery and redemption. He moves to his daughter Lucy's (Jessica Haines) farm in the Eastern Cape. Lucy is a strong-willed woman who is struggling to maintain her independence in a land where the balance of power has shifted. She is emotionally fragile and is violently attacked by three black men, who rape her.
Lurie becomes a witness to the aftermath of his daughter's assault and attempts to reconcile with her in a coming-of-age story of a man and his daughter finding their way back to each other after a traumatic event. The film explores themes of shame, regret, and violence, and paints a vivid portrait of South Africa in transition.