Emotional Powerful

Rating: 10/10 (3 August 2006)

There are certain movies that, with equal parts skill and, yes, manipulation, get you thinking about what kind of a person you are, and ways in which you might have failed people around you. Based on the true story of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager who sheltered more than 1,200 Hutus and Tutsis during the 1994 Rwandan massacre, Terry George's "Hotel Rwanda" -- beautifully constructed and directed, with a career-defining performance by Don Cheadle and exceptional supporting work by Sophie Okonedo -- is one of those pictures. "The Passion of the Christ" was the movie most alleged Christians were hyped up about this year, probably because it allowed them to feel self-congratulatory about their willingness to wallow in their savior's suffering. But "Hotel Rwanda" is the picture that really captures the essence of Judeo-Christian values: It takes the measure of our compassion for our fellow human beings, and demands that we hold ourselves accountable for the things we might have done and didn't.