A Far Off Place facts for kids

Quick facts for kids A Far Off Place
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Mikael Salomon
Produced by	Eva Monley Elaine Sperber
Screenplay by	Robert Caswell Jonathan Hensleigh Sally Robinson
Starring	Reese Witherspoon Ethan Randall Jack Thompson Maximilian Schell
Music by	James Horner
Cinematography	Juan Ruiz Anchía
Editing by	Ray Lovejoy
Studio	Walt Disney Pictures Amblin Entertainment Touchwood Pacific Partners
Distributed by	Buena Vista Pictures
Release date(s)	March 12, 1993 (1993-03-12)
Running time	108 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Money made	$12.9 million

A Far Off Place is an exciting adventure drama from 1993. It's also known as Far Off Place or Kalahari. The movie is based on two books by Laurens van der Post: A Far Off Place (1974) and A Story Like the Wind (1972).

The film stars famous actors like Reese Witherspoon, Ethan Randall, Jack Thompson, and Maximilian Schell. It tells the story of two teenagers who must survive in the wild African desert.

The Story

The movie begins with Harry Winslow (Ethan Randall), a teenager from New York. He is a bit spoiled and used to city life. Harry travels to the Kalahari Desert in Africa. He is visiting family friends, Paul and Elizabeth Parker.

Harry finds it hard to get used to life without his usual gadgets. He often argues with Nonnie (Reese Witherspoon), the Parkers' 14-year-old daughter. Nonnie is very spirited and wants to help protect wildlife. She dreams of following her father's footsteps. Her dad, Paul Parker, works to stop elephant poachers.

A Dangerous Night

One night, Nonnie and her dog, Hintza, sneak out. They go to meet Nonnie's friend, Xhabbo (Sarel Bok). Harry secretly follows them. They find Xhabbo in a cave. He was attacked by a leopard and needs to rest.

At sunrise, Nonnie hears gunshots. She rushes back to the house. A terrible discovery awaits her. Her parents and Harry's father have been killed. They were investigating illegal ivory trade. John Ricketts (Jack Thompson), a business partner of Paul Parker, is secretly behind the poaching.

Escape into the Desert

Poachers start to search the house. Ricketts realizes Nonnie and Harry are missing. Nonnie quickly grabs explosives from the garage. She attaches them to the poachers' truck. The explosion kills several of Ricketts' men.

Nonnie and Harry flee to the cave. Xhabbo advises them to "follow the wind." This means heading west across the vast Kalahari Desert. At the desert's edge, Xhabbo talks to a herd of elephants. He convinces them to walk behind the children. This helps hide their tracks.

Harry is shocked to learn they have 2,000 miles to travel. They need to reach the seaport of Karlstown. But Nonnie stays hopeful.

The Search Begins

Meanwhile, Colonel Mopani Theron (Maximilian Schell) learns about the attack. He is a close friend of the Parkers. He doesn't know Ricketts is involved. Col. Theron orders Ricketts to lead a search party by helicopter.

The helicopter flies overhead. Harry tries to signal it. But Nonnie worries it might be poachers. She tells them to hide. The children then create a clever trick. They stuff their clothes with straw and lay them in the sand. Ricketts sees the fake bodies. He shoots them, believing the children are dead.

Surviving the Wild

For the next two months, the young runaways survive in the desert. They dig up plant roots for food. Xhabbo teaches Harry his native language. He also teaches Harry how to hunt gemsbok.

Col. Theron continues his search. He believes the Parkers' deaths were part of a big crime. He searches for the hidden elephant tusks. He thinks they will lead him to the killer.

One night, Nonnie and Harry talk about their parents. They share a comforting hug. Later, near a remote store, hunting dogs chase them. They escape with only minor injuries.

A Close Call

A few days later, Ricketts visits the same store. He notices Nonnie's necklace. She lost it during the chase. Ricketts realizes the children are still alive. He becomes very angry.

Nonnie, Harry, and Xhabbo struggle in the desert heat. A scorpion stings Xhabbo. He tells his friends to go on without him. But Nonnie and Harry refuse to leave him.

Nonnie goes to find water but collapses. She hears Ricketts' helicopter approaching. Nonnie and Xhabbo weakly "tap" their chests. This is a spiritual Bushman practice. It summons a sandstorm. The storm forces Ricketts to fly away.

The Final Confrontation

The three young people fall unconscious. They wake up in a Karlstown hospital. They were only a few yards from the Atlantic coast! Nonnie is reunited with Col. Theron. She tells him that Ricketts killed her parents.

After they recover, Nonnie and Harry go with Col. Theron. They visit Ricketts' mining facility. There, they find a huge collection of elephant tusks.

Nonnie insists the tusks must be buried. They start setting up dynamite. Ricketts arrives to stop them. Harry traps Ricketts under a pile of tusks. Nonnie holds him at gunpoint. But she cannot shoot him.

They lead Ricketts outside and light the fuse. Ricketts cannot bear to see his fortune destroyed. He runs back into the mine. He tries to put out the flame. But the dynamite explodes. Ricketts is buried by the falling rocks.

A New Beginning

Sometime later, Nonnie and Harry say goodbye to Xhabbo. He returns to the Kalahari. Harry kisses Nonnie before flying home to New York. Nonnie tells him to leave without looking back.

However, as Nonnie and Col. Theron clean the remains of the Parker home, Harry returns. The children embrace, ready for a new future.

Cast