A typical war drama

Rating: 7/10 (16 September 2017)

War drama used to exploits character to its core. By giving hard story imposed to its protagonist, the audience obliged to relates themselves by constant reminder that life is nothing but series of tragedy. Unfortunately, Beasts of no Nations are no different. Except that it offer darker tone than, -for example, City of God that also issued similar problem about child of war.
Beasts of No Nations take a close look of child soldier in Africa that separated from their family in the midst of regional conflict. These child fueled by hatred, are easy pick to be trained into sudden soldier in field. They are ready to be shaped and not well adjusted to cope with trauma. This preference are proved by the scene where Commandant ordered Agu to kill a grown educated man, because he knows that the man no longer able to be manipulated and the best use of the man is only as living prove to maintain his total power.
What its offer that has not yet I saw in another war drama, is the detail of soldier's inauguration, or particular rites of passage. The early shouts that made Agu stand still, yelling out his loyalty while at the same time retained his existence, are well illustrated. The rest of rites are apparent sacred, with many hint of fascism. Still, due to its based on novel from the same title, it bears portion of qualm that cannot be taken at face value.
His development from child to a beast is remarkably started, not after his rites completion, but the first premature kill that defined his actual changes and shifting his moral ground. Agu's inner voice while he talk to himself by using God as instrument, is our checkpoint each time he deprived from child nature.
We could see from the beginning that Agu's family is a typically moderate in term of religion which mark them as ideal family to begin with. They understand problem that lies around and acts accordingly, while still cares for others without doubt. They hold high regards of others, which placed them with better moral position from the rest. Such innocent family that deserve no place at this war. While this serves as prior motive for us to take more sentiment from the protagonist, this family-based narrative device are easily found everywhere else.
The mother issue aren't resolved. It is compelling to say that the director tried to send us back to final tragedy that Agu had lost all hope of return to his old life. Yet, the final act that Agu started to make peace with himself are pretty straightforward and well closing the movie in proper manner, like the rest of its structure. Good, but not extraordinary.