Invictus is a biographical drama film based on Nelson Mandela's life during the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa.
Nelson Mandela is one of the world's greatest and most admired political leaders and has been honored with numerous awards including the Nobel Peace Prize for he is a shining example of the incredible strength of the human spirit to persevere in the face of adversity for the pursuit of freedom.
After 27 years in a Robben Island prison, Nelson mandela is released in 1990 at the age of 72 and works immediately to bring about the end of apartheid and the initiation of full democratic elections where the black majority population can vote. Mandela wins the race for President of South Africa and takes office in 1994. Mandela continues to lend his voice towards issues that affect his country and the world at large, such as the AIDS epidemic, poverty, and human rights.
While Mandela attempts to tackle the country's largest problems such as crime and unemployment he attends a game of the Springboks , the country's rugby union team. Mandela manages to convince a meeting of the South African Sports Committee not to change the Springboks team, name and colours. He then meets with the Springboks' captain Francois Pienaar . Though Mandela never verbalizes his true meaning during their meeting, Pienaar understands the message below the surface: if the Springboks can gain the support of non-white South Africans and succeed in the upcoming World Cup, the country will be unified and inspired. Mandela also shares with Pienaar that a poem, Invictus, had been inspiring to him during his time in prison, helping him to "stand when all he wanted to do was lie down".
For many non-white, especially the radicals, the Springboks symbolised white supremacy and they did not want to support their national team. As the tournament approaches, Mandela collapses from exhaustion and the Springboks' only non-white player, Chester Williams, is sidelined with a puled hamstring.
Things begin to change, however, as the players went around interacting with the locals. During the opening games, support for the Springboks begins to grow amongst the non-white population. By the second game Williams is fit once again. Citizens of all races turn out in numbers to show their unanimous support for the Springboks.
At the end of the movie Mandela and Pienaar meet on the field together to celebrate the improbable victory amidst a crowd of some 62,000 fans. Once there, Mandela thanks Pienaar for his service to the nation, but Pienaar insists the President that he deserves the real thanks. In one particular scene, some white police officers celebrate by hoisting a young black boy, who had been lingering near their vehicle to listen to the radio broadcast of the game, onto their shoulders.