"I just want to be happy in this life."

Rating: 8/10 (24 October 2015)

There is a lot of controversy over the release of this film. Not for content (per say) or any behind the scenes production fights, but for the actual release itself. This film was purchased by Netflix and is the first film from the streaming company. They have released the film both in theatres and on their streaming service. This is a big "No, No" for theatre chains as they typical request a 90-day exclusive window. So, a bunch of theatre chains have boycotted the film and refuse to show it. Luckily, some smaller independent theatres are showing it, thus making it officially eligible for an Oscar consideration.
Now let's look at those chances. Does the film have a chance? Maybe. It certainly has some powerful sequences and performances. Yet, what are the political questions in letting this film be nominated? We all know the Oscars are old school Hollywood and Netflix seems to be anti- everything. They are producing original content and changing the way people view television shows. Is this the next step for cinema?
Well, all that aside, how is the actual film? Netflix didn't produce the film, they purchased it. Unlike their television shows, so who knows what an actual Netflix film will look like. Cary Fukunaga wrote, shot, produced and directed Beasts of No Nation and if this guy doesn't have a bright future ahead of him in Hollywood, then I don't want to watch movies anymore. Everyone fell in love with the first season of True Detective. Why? Was it the writing? No, Pizzolatto proved that with the second season. What about McConaughey and Harrelson? They surely are a big portion of it, but most people talk about the look, the feel and the direction of it. Specifically the long take showcased in episode 4.
How good is Beasts of No Nation? Strikingly good. The premise alone gives me an uneasy tension that can't be shaken. The film tells the story of Agu, a child who finds himself as a soldier in a civil war in Africa. He's a captive. He's a killer. Is he brainwashed to believe everything or simply fighting for survival. The film is a brutally honest look at the lives and deaths of those who are stuck within this cruel world.
Fukunaga wrote and directed the film. They had a cinematographer, but due to an injury he had to drop out at the last second, which forced Fukunaga to shoot the film himself. Maybe this was a good thing, because the film is gorgeous. Luscious greens fill the screen from the jungle, bloody red fills the dirt they trek through, decrepit towns overrun by ruthless killers. One sequences Fukunaga stages for us is very reminiscent of a brutally shocking scene from City of God. Here, we have Agu faced with the task of having to kill someone. Fukunaga sets the stage, slowly ups the stakes and then revels in the carnage brought forth. Shocking and disturbing and would have been even more so had I not seen the aforementioned film.
Abraham Attah stars as Agu, the child robbed of his childhood. An undeniably great performance from a first time actor. A lot of times, first time actors are hit or miss. They can deliver a brilliant performance, or ruin a film. It's the lack of "acting" that delivers some honest performances sometimes. The same goes for children, who are unaware, often, of the nature of things. They have an innocence that sometimes gets lost as they grow older. Abraham Attah has the benefit of being both a child and a first time actor. The result is a truthful performance that I for one hope receives some recognition come awards season. If they can honour the performance in Beasts of the Southern Wild than they can do so here.
Idris Elba plays the warlord who destroys the lives of these children. He's ruthless in his manipulation of these young minds who are lost without their families. He imposes a fatherly figure all while towering over them with threatening levels of violence. He wants war, he wants bloodshed and will find a way to get it. The supporting cast, full of more first time actors and some actual former soldiers all fit nicely in this package. One character is known as tripod and walks around naked everywhere. Yes, there are some levels of humour here, mostly in the first act. Once things hit the fan, the sheer intensity of everything rises to unnatural levels.
Beasts of No Nation is an accomplishment. Clocking in at 2 hours and 20 minutes, the film is a bit on the long side, but I never thought it dragged. I was engaged from start to finish. Attah had me from the beginning till the end. Beasts of No Nation is one of the year's best films.