Harrowing, honest and impactful

Rating: 10/10 (13 July 2019)

Beasts of No Nation is by no means an easy, satisfying watch but it's an impactful movie that reflects the current social political climate. While some of the visual content featured here is absolutely harrowing, it does feel very humantized and the cinematography and score is stunning and euphoric. The score manages to blend African percussion with lush synthesised soundbeds which felt fresh and unique. BONN also doesn't try to fit within genre conventions and felt very genuine despite the hard hitting situations characters are placed in to. This is especially reflective in the acting from the young male lead 'Abu' who excels in emotion and desperation. It felt familiar to Blood Diamond in a sense but arguably more subtle and stripped back.
Idris Elba also does a great job within the film to create a character unique to his acting tool set.
My main issue with the movie is that some details are left short and I wanted to know more and have this expanded upon - especially considering this title is standalone and not likely to receive a sequel.
It likely won't satisfy casual viewers but those invested in the premise will experience a powerful film.