Recently Re-Watched HW...still powerful. DVD review

Rating: 9/10 (22 August 2006)

I recall seeing the previews for this and thought "Oh God, they CAN'T make a Hollywoodized version of this tragedy." I had read Fergal Kean's book "Season of Blood," which detailed the horror and violence of this event. Kean was a correspondent for the BBC and provided perhaps the most detailed account from a Westerner's perspective. The book is harrowing and hard to get through. It's not pleasant, and with the images from his account still haunting me, I didn't trust Hollywood to do things right.
Thankfully, with Don Cheadle in the lead, and director Terry George at the helm, actively recruiting the involvement of the actual Paul Rosesabagina (portrayed by Cheadle), there was a responsible effort to NOT exploit the horror. I also think it was a good move to edit this to a PG13. Some scenes push the rating limit, but restraint allowed the events to emerge and not get overwhelmed by the violence. This film should be seen by young people, especially those who entertain themselves slaughtering thousands in realistic video games.
The DVD has a strong commentary by both Director Terry George and Paul Rusesabagina that is truly enlightening. This was an embarrassing event for the World, and the fact that the UN and Clinton Administration did not classify this as a "genocide," despite what news footage showed, is shameful. As I understand it, and as discussed on the commentary, if a genocide is recognized, the UN is REQUIRED to act and put it to rest. But politics of the time intervened. The Clinton Administration was still stinging from the mess in Somalia, and the UN really doesn't amount to much without the US providing military logistics.
A good companion piece to this is HBO's film "Sometimes in April," but it's far more brutal in its depiction of genocidal scenes. For a written account, find the above mentioned SEASON OF BLOOD; A Rwandan Journey by FERGAL KEANE, winner of the 1995 Orwell prize and published by Viking. Amazon or eBay should have it.
I'll show Hotel Rwanda to my kids, but I'm waiting a couple years until they are both over 13, since I think the age rating should be heeded. The character of Paul Rusesabagina as portrayed by Don Cheadle is truly a heroic one. Here's a guy who didn't set out to be a hero, he just took responsibility. Scenes with his family are truly painful to watch, and anyone with children can relate to scenes of children gone missing and the desperate search for them. This film is a nightmare, but since it happened, and we know we don't learn much from history, it's good to see the "other" side of war. This is bigotry at its worse, on par with the Holocaust. Had the victims been white, I'm sure the reaction from the UN and the West would have been far different. Thankfully, Hotel Rwanda doesn't wear accusations of racism on it sleeve, but it's clear, especially when white tourists are hand-escorted from the crowd by UN Soldiers, even nuns carrying children, the black children pushed from their arms.
This is certainly not a fun, dinner & date movie. It's not meant to be. It's quite a downer. I'd put it on par with The Killing Fields, Under Fire, and Salvador. There are a few films out there that can present serious events responsibly. Hotel Rwanda is one of the very few. No Rambo came to save everyone in the end. Tom Cruise doesn't hop from a tank or Porsche with a thumbs up and toothy grin. This story doesn't fit the Hollywood FORMULA.
Tragically, I don't think we've seen the final chapter to Rwanda's sad story yet. Many Tutsis had no choice but to return to their homes, many the site of the slaughter of loved ones, only to endure neighboring Hutsis returning, the same who actually killed their relatives. What writer can create such an ending? The New Yorker covered the "homecoming" of both victims and murderers a couple years back. I don't recall any follow up.
This film should be seen by young people. It shows how bigotry unchecked does destroy us as a species, and we cannot be defined alone by pigment or cultural heritage. It's cheesy, but we all bleed red. Thankfully, Hotel Rawanda chooses to not focus on the blood, which lesser filmmakers might have done.