TIA - This Is Africa

Rating: 8/10 (15 January 2007)

I really wanted to see this movie but was scared by the drama element ever since I've seen Titanic Leonardo Di-Caprio has left a scar on me, the wound has since healed and Leo has matured on to become one of the finest actors in Hollywood but I'm still scared I'm going to walk into a much hyped movie and come out suffering from 3.5 hours of exposure to drama and romance.
Yet I did see the movie the weekend it released in India and was happy I did.
"This is Africa" as the actors of the film often repeat is the in fact the central theme of the movie.
The movie explores the ground situation in most war torn countries of Africa and shows us some very interesting and thought inducing facts.
1)That natural resources have indeed on bought about death and destruction to Africa (true from historic times) this is summed up brilliantly by the dialogue in the movie "Thank good they didn't find oil" (something middle east will vouch for).
2)That indigenous people in Africa are in fact as responsible for the problems in Africa as the foreigners and instead of organising themselves into helping each other they allow themselves to be manipulated into helplessness, the spate of the people in Africa can again be summed up brilliantly by the dialogue "....then you'll just be another black man in Africa".
3)That there is hope and even though they are war torn and death and destruction is part of their everyday lives the people who dare to dream in Africa and and there are others who want to make a difference.
4)The child soldiers (not only in Africa) are the most frightening part of any war torn country children and fragile and when they cross the line they don't just walk but run. Child Soldiers are known to be most brutal of any soldiers and the most heinous war crimes like rape, dismemberment and even cannibalism are mostly carried out by them. Tackling this is going to be the biggest problem, that those trying to restructure such countries face.
5)And my favourite part is how the movie has explored the mixed feelings that the local white people of Africa feel. They are the most interesting part of the movie. Wanting to leave and at the same time struggling with the love for the land they were born and brought up in, are just some of the problems they face, confused about loyalties, racism and to boot it all the funny accents (Leo did a brilliant job here, he sounded just like some of the South African and Zimbabwean cricketers ).
The part about blood diamonds should have been only the the foundation on which the movie was built but was in fact given undue credit in the movie, sensationalists and I believe untrue figures were used to make it look like conflict diamonds were the only cause of Africas Problems and extra-brownie points were earned by putting the onus on the American People (sometimes the I think the Americans like to see themselves as the centre of the world and responsible for everything even death and destruction).
The movie also seems out of date considering that Sierra Leone and many other Diamond Rich African States are now Conflict Free and the hordes of diamonds that had been stored can now be freely sold, yet peace has hardly bought any progress Sierra Leone has the highest infant mortality rate in the world and average lifespan is 38 years.
Yet the movie has put a lot of focus and Africa and Africans and for that it gets huge credit.
Techinically this movie is as good as any movie with this sort of budget and cast should be.
Acting was nearly flawless every actor doing his job perfectly, yet Leo shown above the lot.
The direction and cinematography was superb helped by Africas Natural Beauty.
Background sounds, languages and accents showed superb research and were used effectively.
And once again special effects were top notch.
A flaw in the movie is its failure to show the double standards and opposing faces of the life and relief work in Africa, billions are being spent and while many (including relief workers) spend life luxuriously other grovel in poverty.
The only other flaw the movie has (besides its diamond centric viewpoint )is the ending IT WAS WAY TO PREDICTABLE AND QUITE HYPOCRITICAL, there are enough clues in the movie that you are absolutely sure of the ending and it robs its effectiveness. Also the manner in which movie ends clearly shows double standards.
I hate dramas but the brutal life like action and the interesting viewpoints ensure that you are always connected to the movie and the same time you are entertained and excited an extremely rare combination for movies that try to posses any measure of social commentary.
A movie that can be watched and enjoyed by all, even by action/comedy only watcher like me.
THIS MOVIE IS A MUST WATCH.
-s slightly uni-dimensional portrayals and viewpoints, VERY PREDICTABLE ENDING.
+/s romance ???? too universal to be a classic??.
+s technically flawless in all aspects of films, Leonardo Di Caprio, great Africa Centric viewpoint which includes white Africans.
total 8/10 (actually if you factor in expectations and universal appeal it actually a nine but my close friend is one the biggest cutters of diamonds (has never bought uncertified rough) and he assures me that the diamond issue is blown out of proportion (way to shift blame away from arms dealers and relief agencies? )and I trust him enough to give the movie a slightly lower rating)