Class Assignment-SPOILER ALERT

Rating: Null/10 (1 May 2016)

The theme of this movie is a dramatic war in an African country that has torn apart many homes and families. Despite the UN trying to maintain peace, they failed and eventually had to pull-out of the small village where they were stationed. In this film, a young boy by the name of Agu (played by Abraham Attah) is faced with poverty, the execution of his father (played by Kobina Amissah-Sam), and older brother (played by Francis Weddey) during an African civil war. Agu also lost his mother (played by Ama K. Abebrese) and baby sister (played by Vera Nyarkoah Antwi) as they fled in an already overly crowded car to escape the turmoil that their small town soon faced as the military and rebels zoned in closer to their home. Agu was faced with the evil of the "witch woman" (played by Grace Nortey) of his town as she swore not to know the family. The woman believed they stole her land for refugees to live on and felt revenge was best to deal with them. This sealed the fate and death of the father and brother. As Agu was able to flee the execution when his father told him to run, he was not so lucky, as he had been recruited by soldiers. The soldiers were led by the commandant (play by Idris Elba). Although the commandant saved Agu by taking him in, he also put him in harm's way by recruiting him as a child soldier and also raping him along with another boy by the name of Strika (played by Emmanuel Nii Adom Quaye). Strika a mute, soon became close friends with Agu, until his untimely death. Strika's death was the turning point for Agu, he no longer feared the commandant or death, deciding to stand with Rambo (played by Zabon Gibson) to leave the commandant and surrender to the military due to not having basic necessities such as food and water. The theme of an African civil war, child soldiers, and mass killings was similar to the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda, which was based on a true story. The terrorizing of African people in the name of politics made this film frightening realistic yet outstanding. Although the film was entertaining, the thought and realization of entire families being ripped apart due to land, money, or materialistic resources is unsettling. It is a sad reality of the world we all live in, and is a constant reminder that many countries are truly going through this terrorism in their everyday lives, all in the name of politics.