Sometimes Informative, Hard to Finish

Rating: 6/10 (15 January 2012)

From the onset I will admit that I am not well-versed in the life of Gandhi. That said, I expected more of this film. I was met with a marginalized look at the life of a richly genuine man.
Perhaps it's because I'm a young adult born of an incredibly violent generation, but the portrayal of Gandhi's nonviolence comes off weak. The amount of love Gandhi shared for those around him comes off fake. The amount of trust the impoverished Indian people put in Gandhi seems staged. Of course, we all know coming in that this is just a film, but I believe this film did a poor job of capturing all the emotion that existed throughout Gandhi's lifetime. In fact, I am still left confused as to why Gandhi succeeded in South Africa and in India. Like I said, maybe I am disillusioned by being raised in a violently apathetic culture, but it seems absurd that an entire country would stop fighting simply because one man went on a fast. It seems similarly absurd that peasants who make up the majority of a country would leave behind their only source of income and food only to actively and knowingly accept violence from the British.
This does not seem absurd because I can't imagine it happening, it seems absurd because this film does an entirely terrible job of creating the emotion and charisma that Gandhi had in order to inspire people to do these amazing things and to instigate these amazing changes.
If you're looking for a deep view into the soul of Gandhi, like I was, you'll be disappointed. If you want a cute 3 hour Hollywood "bio" pic, well you've found it...