Powerful. Provocative. Compelling.

Rating: Null/10 (9 December 2015)

I think the only way Hollywood views Africa is as an entire continent ravaged by nothing but conflict & suffering and Beasts of No Nation is another exemplification of that. That's not to say that the picture isn't impressive by any means for it is definitely a powerful, provocative & compelling piece of work but this movie industry's immoderate fascination with the civil war subject is slowly becoming unhealthy.
Set in an unnamed West African country, Beasts of No Nation tells the story of a young boy named Agu who, after witnessing his family being gunned down by soldiers, flees from the village but inadvertently runs into the rebel forces and is coerced to join them in their fight. The plot then follows Agu's harrowing journey as a child soldier plus the loss of innocence he undergoes after witnessing the brutality & hardships of war.
Written, shot & directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, Beasts of No Nation takes a very no-holds- barred approach to bring its script to life on the film canvas and is able to depict everything in an uncompromising manner. The camera brilliantly illustrates the transition our character undergoes from living in a bright, hopeful environment to a grim, disturbing one through its changing colour tones as the plot progresses, and it is effectively utilised by Fukunaga.
The plot remains gripping for the most part, thanks to tight editing, but the final act is more like a stretch and its runtime is slightly felt at that point. Coming to the performances, there are two standouts in Abraham Attah & Idris Elba, the former's input being a definite highlight for Attah carries the whole film on his own little shoulders, while Elba plays the leader of the rebels with comfort and the scenes between the two form the core ingredient that keeps the film glued together.
On an overall scale, Beasts of No Nation is difficult to watch at times, is unflinching with its violent content, and is meant to be an upsetting experience. But where the movie really hits the mark is in handling the complexities of its lead character and apart from that, there isn't really much in the story that separates it from other Hollywood treatments of same subject matter and while these movies do bring certain issues to light, their exclusive focus on this one particular problem is also hurting an entire continent's image.