The Long Run is not about running. It's about South Africa. South Africa imagined as beautiful woman Nthati Moshesh, whose affection the ruling classes (established whites, and newly rich blacks) are competing for. Though I'd love to go on about the woman/nation metaphor, I'll restrict myself to a few comments about this pleasant film.

Director Jean Stewart goes all out to showcase the beauty of South Africa's countryside. For once, the African landscape is not a setting for the struggles of wild animals, but a place inhabited by hard-working humans.

Now back to Moshesh: She plays a raw runner discovered by the professional running trainer Armin Mueller-Stahl (who has charming eyes and lips). When I rewatch this film, the moment I'll impatiently await is when she skinny-dips in an open well.

When I spoke with Armin Mueller-Stahl about the film, he immediately raised two concerns: one, if I understood the English buried beneath his thick German accent; two, that my review should not fail to mention the performance and beauty of the film's main actress, Nthati Moshesh. I assured him that he need not worry on both counts.

How did you end up in a film about modern South Africa?

When I read the script for the first time, I thought it was a great script. It had many stories in it, and the one I liked was the love story between an old man and a young runner. This is the kind of story I like, and a good movie needs a good story. The producers approached me to see if I would play this German--who is almost Prussian, yeah, but is very humble and not a beast. I agreed to take the role because I like playing that kind of German.

The film seems to be less about running and more about South Africa.

I agree. That is what the film is about--South Africa. But then the secondary story, the story beneath this main story, is a love story.

Are you a runner?

I was a runner in my youth. But not a very good runner.