 |
|---|
Film Review
Hotel Rwanda
Distributor: Roadshow 2005
Starring Don Cheadle, Nick Nolte, Sophie Okonedo
Review by Jenni van Wageningen
Set in Rwanda during 1994, this is the real-life story of one man who
makes a courageous stand against the evil, terror and corruption around
him.
Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle) is the manager of a five-star hotel in the capital Kigali. He administers the Belgian-owned hotel with unassuming efficiency and dignity, showing consideration and respect to his staff. He is also a dedicated family man with a deep love and commitment to his wife Tatiana (Sophie Okonedo) and their three children. His peaceful routine is suddenly shattered when the Hutu President of Rwanda is assassinated in a plane crash by members of his own party.
When the blame for this is placed on the Tutsi people, old tensions and hatred between the Tutsis and the Hutus are re-ignited. Although both tribes have lived alongside each other for generations, many Hutus retained a deep-seated resentment against the Tutsis because they were regarded more highly by the Belgians during colonial times. The Tutsis were taller, with paler skin and thinner noses i.e. more ‘European’ in appearance. But when Rwanda was granted independence, Belgium left the Hutus in control, and this led to an ongoing struggle for power.
The Hutu people viciously turn on and betray their Tutsi neighbours, labelling them ‘cockroaches.’ The extermination which follows is brutal and relentless, with more than a million Tutsis massacred in just over 100 days.
Although Paul himself is a Hutu he risks his life to save his neighbours and fellow countrymen. He finds himself in the role of reluctant hero as he offers sanctuary to Tutsi refugees, using bribery, influence and his powers of persuasion to save them from the slaughter in the streets outside. He begins by helping just family and close friends, but in no time the number of those seeking shelter in the hotel grows to more than 1,200. Among them are Tutsi children from a nearby Catholic orphanage.
United Nations peacekeepers are hovering in the area, but are ineffective in stemming the tide of genocidal violence. As Colonel Oliver (Nick Nolte), the only person who risks everything to help Paul save the lives of his countrymen, says in frustration, “The West doesn’t really care because you are only African.”
This is a truly inspirational movie about an ordinary man who becomes remarkable because of the way he responds to an extreme situation. Paul Rusesabagina is one of the real heroes of our time. The movie shows how just one person can make a real difference, and that integrity, courage and compassion can triumph against what appear to be insuperable odds. It is an amazing example of how it is possible to overcome evil with good, instead of combating evil with violence and revenge.
At the same time, the movie once more shows us the evil, cruelty and indifference of the human heart on a grand scale.
Fifty years after the extermination of millions of Jews and the assertion that this would never be allowed to happen again, the western world ignores the jolt to its conscience and fails to take action. We have also seen a repeat of the horrors of mass genocide in both Bosnia and Cambodia.
The movie is a chilling and timely reminder of just how important it is for those who have power - as well as those who may not - to speak up and intervene when great evil is taking place. It shines a blistering spotlight on the self-centred complacency and indifference of the west, which chooses to look the other way in the face of great need.
This is an unforgettable movie. Those who have seen
‘Schindler’s list’ will notice many similarities between the two stories
of compassionate and courageous men.
Books
Music
Movies
Return to top of page
All material on this site © 2004 Trowel & Sword