Director: Terry George
Released: February 2005
Rated PG-13
Run Time: 122 Minutes
Cast:
Don Cheadle: Paul Rusesabagina
Sophie Okonedo: Tatiana Rusesabagina
Hakeem Hae-Kazim: George Rutaganda
Joaquin Phoenix: Jack Daglish
David O’Hara: David
Nick Nolte: Colonel Oliver
Back in the day, it used to be that when you wanted to hear about something going in the rest of the world, you would have to find a specific source for that, usually a newspaper or radio or television. The problem was, is that you didn’t get a whole lot of information about what was going on without being in the government. The only way that you would hear about war crimes or other major atrocities were from first-hand accounts from somebody who had escaped from that particular region of the world and got in contact with a global news organization. Today, with the Internet, we have YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and a whole slew of other social media networks so we can find out about current events as they are happening around the world. There were a number of incidents in Africa during the early 90s which really didn’t garner a whole lot of attention. Somalia, which was the inspiration for the Ridley Scott film, Black Hawk Down, was embroiled in a “civil war” that claimed the lives of over 300,000 Somalis. The other one which got even less attention but was no less significant was the civil war/Rwandan Genocide in Rwanda. This period in history was covered in a 2005 film called Hotel Rwanda.
The story of Hotel Rwanda centers around a manager, Paul Rusesabagina, who runs a local 4-star hotel. The film starts as Paul is returning from abroad, heading back to his job and his loving family. We eventually run into a couple of journalists who are there to report on possible war crimes being committed against the ethnic Tutsis, by the Hutus. There are clearly tensions rising between the two groups, and one night, Paul witnesses Hutu soldiers violently arresting a neighbor of his. All hell breaks loose when the Hutus assassinate Rwanda’s president and start slaughtering the Tutsis with the intent to make them extinct. Paul and his family are forced to flee to his hotel to try and ride out the oncoming genocide. The UN troops led by Colonel Oliver are doing their best to protect these people, but are not allowed to fire on the extremists. A lot of the details presented in Hotel Rwanda were provided by Mr. Rusesabagina himself, so it’s not a spoiler to say that he and his family survived. When you’re dealing with a film that’s based on true events, as Hotel Rwanda is, you have to get a lot of details rights, and according to Paul himself, the film does. So, what makes Paul Rusesabagina such a prominent figure? Well, let’s start with the fact that through his skills of bargaining, he managed to save more than a thousand lives, and he did so without firing a gun, or punching somebody in the face. It takes a person with extraordinary courage to do what he did in the face of such tremendous adversity. The man has been labeled a national hero in his home country for his efforts.
Hotel Rwanda is an extraordinary story of survival, courage, and perseverance. The people who brought this story to life on the big screen should be commended for their efforts for crafting such an incredibly moving and powerful story. It certainly helps that Rusesabagina was played by Don Cheadle, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance. I think he should have won, because he grounds the role in reality and gives the character an extraordinary level of humanity. I don’t think anybody else but Cheadle could have pulled it off. He had to get a lot of details right, because he didn’t want to offend the real Rusesabagina. His performance is amazing and very heartfelt, especially after the character witnesses the atrocities committed by the Hutus. Everyone else does an equally fantastic job, especially Joaquin Phoenix as one of the journalists. He’s such a good actor, his character basically defies his boss to help expose the crimes being committed. Nick Nolte is also great as Colonel Oliver. He gives the character a commanding presence, even though the character has his hands tied by red tape. It’s heartbreaking to see the UN and the Western Powers refuse to do anything to stem the slaughter and it really shows the strength and compassion of Paul as he tries to help people to survive.
A lot of movies dealing with these kinds of events try to show the really nasty side of genocide: The violence, the rapes and the sheer brutality of the situation. For a lot of movies trying to expose these crimes, that’s okay, it needs to be seen. But a movie is also a tool for entertainment, so you have to keep the audience engaged on an emotional level as well. The constant barrage of sexual violence and brutal murders isn’t always the best way to get the point across. Hotel Rwanda accomplishes this by not actually focusing on the atrocities themselves, but rather a much smaller group of people. It makes for a more intimate and emotionally gratifying experience that allows the audience to experience the full range of emotion that the people on the screen are going through. That’s also the reason for the PG-13 rating. The filmmakers wanted to get this film to as wide an audience as possible. It shows bits and pieces of the violence, but mostly the aftermath, and it is still pretty ugly. It’s meant to be. It’s meant to get people angry about the situation and empathize with the people of Rwanda during this period. I don’t see anything particularly wrong here, on a technical side or performance-wise. They really took the time to get this story right and accessible.
The Rwandan Genocide lasted about three months in the spring of 1994, resulting in the deaths of nearly a million people. Georges Rutaganda and General Bizimungu were tried and convicted of war crimes by the UN in 2002. While there have been a number of movies that dealt with genocide over the years, some of them haven’t exactly been very good. However, they do bring to light some of the worst evils committed by our species. Exposing these crimes is a good thing, even if it is in the format of a movie. Movies aren’t just for entertainment, they are also tools for either propaganda or truth, depending on how you use them. Movies like Hotel Rwanda not only provide strong performance-led pieces of entertainment, but also as a way to shed light on the plight that might have been ignored. I made my feelings known about genocide in my review of Uwe Boll’s Attack on Darfur, so I won’t get into that again. However, Hotel Rwanda is a lesson on how a single person CAN make a difference. Hotel Rwanda is one of the most powerful and moving films I’ve seen in years, and I think everyone owes it to themselves to see it at least once. I’m giving this movie a 10/10. Highly Recommended. Also, I’m going to post a link to Amnesty International for information regarding the abuse of human rights. It’s worth taking a look at.