Very powerful and moving Netflix original

Rating: 10/10 (25 October 2015)

This low-budget war drama that sadly failed to make a wide release in theaters, but gladly managed to stream on Netflix, stars Abraham Attah as Agu, a young child growing up in an unnamed third-world, country in West Africa. When his town is brutally attacked an African militia and his mother and brother are killed, he finds himself pulled into an army of child soldiers by a Commander (played by Idris Elba). Striking through the war-ravaged country, Agu and his fellow comrades experience the horrific realities of war. Directed by Cary Joji Fukanuga, this movie boasts an extraordinary storytelling, vibrant performances, and an ambitious direction.
As this film is partially based on true events, it tackles some interesting issues dealing with poverty and genocide. During the first ten minutes, we are introduced the main character Agu and his friends who try selling a TV with no screen and make playful action through the "imaginary" screen to fill people who watch it with imagination, I thought that was kinda cute. We then see Agu and other children in school in classrooms that easily resembles an abandoned garage. These scenes accurately portray the everyday society that citizens in African territory face. The plot takes off when the African militia arrives in town and launches assault and began kidnapping and killing hundreds of civilians in the eyes of young Agu. Hiding in the woods on the outskirts in his small town, he is found by the Commander of other children who are now trained soldiers and joins the team to fight as a soldier against the militia that kill his family and destroyed his home. From there on, the audience is treated with a gritty and harrowing atmosphere of war as these kids forced to fight for their lives and their poor country. The film does get undeniably bleak and violent , and is quite difficult to watch, but at the same time still manages to keep you glued to your seats. The film moves very well, even though there are some really slow moments, and this is all thanks to the brilliantly written screenplay by director Cary Fukanuga. Abraham Attah gives a wonderful performance as the main child, and Idris Elba shows a fair amount of charisma in his role.
Beasts of No Nation is one of the most vibrant and moving films of the year and definitely deserves some awards. However, due to its online release and short marketing, this film may have reduced its chance of being found under the Oscar radar, and is certainly making very very little at the box office because of it. Overall, this film is very powerful and a good choice for subscribers on Netflix.