A forceful message

Rating: 4/10 (16 April 2016)

Sadly, this movie just didn't do it for me for a number of reasons. I knew coming in that with this type of movie, depicting an horrific historical event, that it is a difficult line to walk. Many movies make the message too heavy-handed, utilizing "message-based- dialogue" that doesn't feel believable. Then there are others like Schindler's List that masterfully demonstrate the horrors, yet remain cinematic masterpieces. I heard so many good things about it from friends and saw the cast and thought that it was going to be good, but left feeling a empty. First, I did not feel the chemistry between Don Cheadle and Sophie Okonedo. From the opening, I didn't feel much of a connection between them and although they kissed and "do" what a married couple should, there was something missing. Secondly, I thought that the editing was a little odd in a couple places. For example, when Cheadle and Okonedo are on the roof at night, there is a part that it unnecessarily cuts to the guns shots over the city. It wasn't anything that helped the movie, but left me a little distracted. Thirdly, I have to complain about the theme of the movie being preached through a megaphone. All good art has to allow the viewer to reach for their own conclusions, invite them in and allow them to interpret. When any art form forces a certain feeling or message upon the viewer, it is insulting to them because it comes off as the director or writer don't trust the audience to reach the same conclusion. This was done mainly through the dialogue. So many of the lines seemed forced in order to get the message that the genocide was bad. This was also done with all the pictures of the dead. The last thing I want to do is offend anyone by downplaying how horrendous this event was, but I believe it should have been represented in a more tactful way. Many times, less is more. Let the audience come to that conclusion without it being shoved down our their throat. However, given all these things that I didn't like, I did enjoy some parts. The individual acting of most characters was good (Phoenix, Mokoena, and Kgoroge to name a few). I also thought that the cinematography was good. The lighting used to help the essence of each scene come forth was well done. Finally, I enjoyed the sound design. It did a much better job of subtly stating the mood of the scene and brought me in as a viewer to interpret with it. Positives: Good sound design, some good acting, and good cinematography. Negatives: Forceful theme/ message, lack of chemistry between leads, and distracting edits in some parts. Conclusion: If you want to watch a movie that tells you how to feel about genocide and war instead of inviting you to develop your own thoughts, you'd probably like the movie.