Hotel Rwanda
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Movie Reviews of Hotel Rwanda
Movie Review: The Year the Earth Stood Still
Summary: 5 Stars
In 1992 a new kid moved into my high school. He and his family had been missionaries in Africa, specifically Kenya and Rwanda. We became friends. Two years later as the rest of the world ignored the genocide that was occurring in Rwanda, I watched some of the suffering my friend had to go through. People he had known, went to school with, worked with, and played were now dead and there was nothing he could do about it.
HOTEL RWANDA is a movie that tells the story of Paul Rusesabagina, a sort of modern day Oskar Schindler, who used his influence, contacts, and limited funds to save the lives of thousands of Tutsis refugees by housing them in the Milles Collines Hotel that he managed in Rwanda.
For historical reasons that really were insignificant, the Hutus in Rwanda came to power and using the military available to them began an extermination of Tutsis. In a period of just three months over one-million Tutsis were executed by the Hutus. Many of Tutsis women were raped before being killed and family homes that had stood for generations were completely destroyed. The Tutsis appealed to the world at large, specifically the United Nations. However, for the most part, the world sat silent as a massive genocide not seen since the days of Hitler took place. The Tutsis people were left to defend for themselves and the HOTEL RWANDA became their only refuge.
HOTEL RWANDA captures a glimpse of the despair, frustration, and isolation that many people in Rwanda felt in those bleak days of 1994. Don Cheadle gives an Oscar-worthy performance portraying Paul Rusesabagina. It is rumored that the film's producers tried to get everyone from Denzel Washington to Wesley Snipes to portray Rusesabagina, but director Terry George insisted from the beginning that Cheadle was the man for the part and in the end his choice was correct.
HOTEL RWANDA is a moving film portraying how the courage, compassion, and conviction of one person can make a difference in the world. At the same time, the movie is somewhat somber because it reminds us that though the events that happened in Rwanda in 1994 were unusual because of the massive scale of murder that happened in such a short time, the events themselves really aren't that unusual and are a reality that many people in Africa have to face everyday. Events similar to what happened in Rwanda are happening right now in Uganda, Nigeria, and other African nations. Except for in Nigeria, because of their relatively large oil reserves, the rest of the world ignores the horrors that happen in these nations. HOTEL RWANDA is a film that works incredibly well because it forces viewers to taste their guilt for idly sitting by and doing nothing as a continent rips itself apart. There aren't very many films that can do that and do it so well.
Movie Review: Important and excellent film
Summary: 5 Stars
The film, Hotel Rwanda, is similar to Schindler's List and The Diary of Ann Frank, in that it is more than entertainment; it documents a national act of genocide of one people against another. Therfore the film has to be reviewed both as an artistic statement and as a political statement. I will cover both in this review.
First, this is suberb film making with an incredible cast of actors. However Don Cheadle demonstrated that his acting skills are of the highest order. The film did an excellent job of balancing the tensions and drama within the hotel with the terror in the streets. Major societal tensions are mirrored in the hotel staff, some of which are Tutsis and some of which are Hutus. The film did an excellent job of demonstrating the terror as parents tired to keep thier children from being murdered against a mob of Hutus, intent on killing all Tutsis in the country. Thus the film demonstrated at the individual, the family, the neighborhood, the ethnic, and the national levels the terror of this genocide.
Second,the film is a political statement against genocide and the politics around genocide. Long brewing social injustice,a breakdown of the social contract, opportunistic political leaders, prejudice and stereotypes, and a highly visible or high profile catalyst to mob violence are the formula for genocide which this film displayed very well. The film is subtle in demonstrating that many of the Tutsis were of a higher economic class than the Hutus and this was due to the Belgium preference for the lighter skinned, thinner, taller Tutsis as compared to the shorter, darker, thicker Hutus. This long brewing social injustice set the stage for opportunistic politicians to gain control of the country with ethinic warfare as their vehicle. The assassination of the President by his own military, blamed on the Tutsis rebels, and fanned into flame by violence monger radio personalities served as the catalyst that sparked the terror.
There has been much discussion around the lack of a response from Europe and the United States during this catastrope. The explanations include the recent US military crisis in Mogadishu (see Black Hawk Down for a great film on this incident), the lack of understanding of the politics and tensions in the region, the involvement of the UN in Bosnia and Serbia, and racism against darker races. All of these forces, no doubt, played a role. However we have to ask both our politicians and the media to do a much better job of educating the public around these issues. The media was slow to report this genocide and thus delayed international action. We should never let this happen again.
Buy this film, it is outstanding. Keep it in your collection since it is part of human history.
Movie Review: Engaging African War Drama
Summary: 5 Stars
I remember back in the summer of 1994 when the Rwanda genocide first came to my attention, i picked up a newspaper turned to page 30 or something and saw a tiny article describing the deaths of possibly hundreds of thousands of people, what struck me at the time was that this could not be possible - if so many had died this would surely be on page 1? Bearing this in mind i well believe the film's underlying conclusion about western indifference to the conflict being linked to the colour of the victims' skin.
This film charts one man's crusade to save the lives of hundreds of Tutsi refugees and moderate Hutu's by sheltering them in the hotel in which he worked for the duration of the genocide. It is interesting how he became the hero he was, firstly he had a Tutsi wife - it started there, he had to pay in cash for her life, then the empathy he had for his wife carried across to other Tutsi's - such illustrates how compassion and also hatred work, compassion by familiarisation, hatred by separation and misunderstanding. The film honestly incorporates many artifacts of the genocide, from the orchestrated mass rape of Hutu women to the very public indifference of the world's powers to the plight of the Rwandan people to the catalyst or spark which ignited the genocide - the assasination of the president and the calls for bloodshed using a pirate radio station (which in the film is voiced chillingly enough to make you believe these are actual recordings from the genocide you are hearing).
The subject matter itself needs no elaboration, it would be impossible to make the events more poignant by over-dramatisation. When watching the evacuation of the western journalists in the film i felt echoes of the excellent 70's movie about genocide in cambodia - The Killing Fields, when the journalists moved out (with their dogs) leaving the natives behind to die. Let me say now that i feel the Killing Fields is a far superior film. Hotel Rwanda does not let you go until the very end, at times it feels like the plight of the hotel 'guests' is hopeless (until you realise this is a Hollywood movie you are watching:)), the scene of the escaping UN convoy with refugees being attacked by hundreds of machete wielding madmen is terrifying. Even if this film were absolutely direly acted and directed i would forgive it for two reasons, the first being that the genocide in Rwanda deserves to be recognised in film along with Cambodia/Auschwitz etc, the second reason is that this hotel manager is a true hero (not the clichy kind)and his story is an inspiration to the entire human race. Having said that the film itself was very good, the acting was fine and the film achieves it's goal of psychological transplantation, you feel you are 'there'.
Movie Review: Hard to Watch - But it must be watched ....
Summary: 5 Stars
Hotel Rwanda is a remarkable film that borders between social commentary, documentary, and character study in the Main Character - Paul Rusesabagina, portrayed brilliantly by Don Cheadle.
Filmed in South Africa, it includes documentary film of actual events woven subtly into the film.
The film resists a tremendous amount of temptation to lapse into social preaching, shaming and condemnation of those nations that stood by or left in the advent of what can only be described as genocide; despite the unwillingness of those countries that fled, to use the word. The subtle nature of what does exist in that realm, is in fact more effective simply presented in the overwhelming imagery of the unimaginable, horrifying scope of events as they played out.
It boggles the mind that the Western World could have been so complacent and indifferent. In the US at the time, we had more important things to focus upon in the media. The O.J. Simpson Trial took center stage and this did not raise to the level of importance to even be a lead story. Bill Clinton identifies this as his single greatest regret of his presidency that he did not use his power, influence and resources to act. There is no excuse that can be offered to justify that lapse. Bill Clinton in this instance, more than any other, had greatness within his grasp to act with the greatest impact upon Human History and demonstrate the values he claimed to possess. Yet he failed to do so. We in the US failed along with him.
Paul Rusesabagina presents a rich study in Character and Leadership. Others examining this film have identified his leadership in the film as situational and there is no question that a strong progression takes place from the beginning of the film where he cannot go beyond his gate in watching a neighbor brutalized to the end of the film where he has taken personal ownership of the fate of over 1,200 refugees to the extent that he is willing to remain behind and send his family to "safety" without him.
On may argue that circumstances dictated responses, and there is no doubt that incredible pressures skewed the responses portrayed. However, there were choices to be made and alternatives available that seemingly offered more direct or immediate results. What we witness is a man faced with impossible demands and challenges who must reach deep within to draw forth a higher level of leadership, a servant-leader who elevates the needs of others above his own.
Overall, this is a remarkable film. One can only hope that the multitude of lessons available to the astute listener will be learned. There are few films that have the potential to impact one's life. This film can, if you will let it.
Movie Review: Worth the Full Price of Admission
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of the better films that I have seen lately, and well deserving of the Academy Award nominations that it received. The film stars Don Cheadle portraying Paul Rusesabagina in a role in which he was nominated for Best Actor, also well deserved. The story is a retelling of the true events which occurred in 1994 during a Rwandan uprising which the Tutsi population of Rwanda was almost annihilated by the Hutu militia.
Paul Rusesabagina (Cheadle) is a hard working Hutu, who serves as the Hotel Manager of a Belgian five-star hotel, the Hotel Milles Collines, in Rwanda. He is married to Tatiana, a Tutsi, played by Sophie Okonedo. Paul lives in a neighbor populated by both Hutu and Tutsi. As the movie begins, tensions are rising as altercations between Hutu militia and Tutsi rebels escalate. Rumors start circulating about a possible Tutsi coup, as Hutu military soldiers begin rounding up possible Tutsi spies in Paul's neighborhood.
A full fledge genocidal war against the Tutsi population is ignited when the plane with the Rwandan President, a Hutu, is shot down by Tutsi rebels only hours after a peace treaty between the Hutu militia and Tutsi rebels is signed. Paul's neighborhood as well as much of Rwanda becomes the battle ground for the war, where only bribery, blackmail, and payoffs are your only survival.
Paul is able to get his family and a van full of neighbors back to his Hotel in hopes that United Nations soldiers will protect these refugees. However, just the opposite becomes apparent. The U.N. soldiers are forced to take no stand on the situation before them. What's even worst, at one point of the film, the U.N. forces arrive at Paul's hotel in mass only to help to evacuate the European guests stranded there, thus leaving behind the Rwanda refugees to fend for themselves without any protection whatsoever.
Paul becomes a one-man army whose only mission is to save the lives of these people. He is forced to plead to foreign nationals, manipulate generals, bribe the Hutu militia, and grovel to U.N. peace-keepers. He is willing to do whatever it takes in order to keep the atrocities, which are occurring just outside his hotel compounds, from entering their confines.
This story is brutally told; it's both gripping and ghastly. Director Terry George pulls no punches; and emotions run rampant as scenes such as "the U.N. forces departure leaving Rwandan refugees behind at the hotel" just tears at the heart. It's a story of how one man overcomes insurmountable odds to make a difference, and it's graphically depicted. Again, this film is not for the squeamish; however, I highly recommend seeing it.
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