Oct. 31 (Bloomberg) -- Sandra Laing lived in racial limbo under South Africa’s apartheid system, a mixed-race child of white parents who apparently passed on genes from unknown black ancestors. She was scorned by her family’s Afrikaner community, kicked out of school by racists and disowned by her father after she fell in love with a black man.

Her harrowing story is told in “Skin,” a moving drama about her life based on Judith Stone’s book “When She Was White.” The film highlights the absurdity of a society so obsessed with race that Sandra’s racial classification was changed from white to “coloured” and back to white again.

Director Anthony Fabian’s feature debut is a straightforward, no-frills production that sometimes has the feel of a TV movie, but a top-notch cast and the inherent power of the story make it memorable.

Sophie Okonedo (“Hotel Rwanda”) gives a moving performance as Sandra, conveying her desperation and isolation without resorting to melodrama. Sam Neill is appropriately steely as her father, a man trapped by the prejudices of his time, while Alice Krige is stellar as the mother torn between loyalty to her husband and love for her daughter.

Sandra never reconciled with her father before he died, but the film concludes on an uplifting note with a teary mother- daughter reunion. Ultimately, “Skin” is more about hope than despair.

“Skin,” from Jour De Fete Films, is playing in New York and Los Angeles. Rating: ***

‘Labor Day’

Given the dramatic decline of U.S. labor unions in the past few decades, I was intrigued to hear about a documentary examining the role one of them played in electing Barack Obama president.

I was disappointed to discover that “Labor Day” is basically an infomercial for the Service Employees International Union, rather than a serious look at the ties between labor and politics.

Husband-and-wife filmmakers Glenn Silber and Claudia Vianello contend that SEIU, which bills itself as the nation’s fastest-growing union, was a major factor in electing Obama through its early endorsement and grass-roots organizing. They offer little evidence, though, beyond the self-serving statements of union officials and a handful of inside-the- Beltway journalists.

Clinton, Bush

Looking back, it’s pretty clear that Hillary Clinton’s bungled primaries strategy, the economic collapse and the backlash against George W. Bush were the catalysts that sent Obama to the White House -- not the backing of the SEIU, whose 2.1 million members include nurses, bus drivers and janitors.

The film makes legitimate points about the crucial role unions have played in improving conditions and job security for U.S. workers. However, it fails to address the reasons unions have lost much of their membership and clout. Tackling those questions would have resulted in a more interesting and useful film.

“Labor Day,” from Catalyst Media Productions, is playing in New York and Chicago. Rating: *1/2

‘Gentlemen Broncos’

Jared Hess’s “Gentlemen Broncos” is unwatchable, except for a wacky performance by Jemaine Clement, co-star of HBO’s “Flight of the Conchords.” Clement is drolly hysterical as a pompous sci-fi novelist who plagiarizes a story from a nerdy teen writer (Michael Angarano) and turns it into his next book.

Without Clement, the latest film from the director of “Napoleon Dynamite” and “Nacho Libre” would be on my short list for worst movie of the year. I know we’re supposed to be charmed by all the oddball characters, including a dress- designing mom (Jennifer Coolidge) with a fondness for popcorn balls, a toothy filmmaker (Hector Jimenez) who churns out crude homemade movies and a bearded roughneck (Sam Rockwell) with a missing testicle. They were all funny for a minute or so before they started to get on my nerves.

“Gentlemen Broncos,” from Fox Searchlight Pictures, is playing in New York and Los Angeles. Rating: *1/2

What the Stars Mean:

****          Excellent
***           Good
**            Average
*             Poor
(No stars)    Worthless

(Rick Warner is the movie critic for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer on the story: Rick Warner in New York at rwarner1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: October 31, 2009 00:01 EDT