An Affecting Story Of Courage

Rating: 9/10 (2 May 2015)

There's an ugly not-my-country-not-my-problem tattoo stamped on the U.S.'s backside. At times, they thoroughly believe in that tattoo; but in others, they gaze at it with a tinge of regret. I'm sure America has felt that potent remorse when reflecting on the Holocaust or the Cambodian genocide. But as one character in Hotel Rwanda puts it, the majority of our nation hears of the crimes, says "that's awful," turns right around, and finishes their dinner. I'm guilty of it, you're guilty of it; we're all guilty of it. There is no one to blame in particular — an ordinary person can't simply drop everything and become a humanitarian — but in Hotel Rwanda, the that's awful mentality is transformed from a mere numbers game to a stinging reality.
In 1994, millions of Rwandan citizens were killed in a response to the snapping of the racial tension between the two predominant ethnicities, the Hutu and the Tutsi. When Tutsi rebels assassinated the country's dictator, Juvénal Habyarimana, the slowly growing mentality that the Tutsi, who migrated to Rwanda early in its foundation, were not natural- born citizens and therefore a threat to the country finally hit its climax. In response, Hutu soldiers began exterminating Tutsi civilians without even batting an eye.
But amidst any atrocity there is always a hero; in the Rwandan genocide's case, that hero was Paul Rusesabagina, the manager of the Hotel Des Milles Collines. By allowing scores of would-be victims to stay in the fluctuating rooms and hallways with no charge, he saved nearly 1,300 people. The film presents him not with the rugged exuberance of a John Wayne type, but rather with a man who feels the need to do the right thing and has the means to do so.
We are only given glimpses into the barbarities that took place in the varying neighborhoods and regions, but Hotel Rwanda succeeds in the fact that it's not a lecture or an in-your-face history lesson. It's by turns enlightening, grim and affecting. Because Rusesabagina is Hutu and his wife is Tutsi (therefore his kids are in grave danger as well), there is an added franticness that makes every second more precious than the last.
Rusesbagina is portrayed by Don Cheadle, his wife by Sophie Okonedo, with Nick Nolte playing a conflicted French Canadian colonel who is forced to make tough decisions in an environment where there isn't any time to make tough decisions. Cheadle's performance is so poignant because he is willing to risk everything he has in order to save others, despite the fact that he may die in the process. To go from fledging hotel manager to a saint within a matter of hours isn't a smooth task, but he accents Rusesbagina's integrity with a devout spirit. What should he do, send every Tutsi out into the street to die? As Rusesbagina's wife, Okonedo is the emotional core of the film, fearing endlessly for her kids and her valiant husband. Okonedo lays every sense she has down on the table; we feel what she feels.
Hotel Rwanda is a terrifically acted and tremendously vigorous account of a monstrous part of our history. Even though the majority of countries looked away, the film places us at an uncomfortable distance to the heinous event, making us rethink that entire not-my-country-not-my- problem philosophy.
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