methodically brutal

Rating: 8/10 (15 February 2017)

Agu is a young boy in an unnamed African nation in the midst of a civil war. There are no services or school for him and his young friends. His father is a local leader. He lives in a buffer zone protected by Nigerian peacekeepers until the peace collapses. Government forces massacre the local population. Agu escapes as his father and brother are killed. He is captured by a rebel force led by Commandant (Idris Elba) who grooms him to be a child soldier.
This is a methodical depiction of the brutalization of a childhood. Idris Elba has a commanding powerful presence. The kid is an appealing performer. That's why his corruption is so demoralizing. It's a harsh, heart-breaking movie. It's a Netflix movie that is cinematic in quality. The plot is pretty simple and the kid's journey is relatively straight forward. Fukunaga delivers an unflinching look into this slice of the world.