What were you doing in 1994?

Rating: 8/10 (18 August 2013)

What were you doing in 1994? I was probably rockin to Soundgarden's latest album on my portable CD player, waiting for Seinfeld to come on while pondering the OJ Simpson murder case, the "news of the century."
Meanwhile, as many as one million people were being butchered with machetes, raped and tortured by their fellow humans, as an entire nation collectively lost its mind.
Suddenly Seinfeld ain't so funny.
This film is epic, if for the sole reason that it brings to light a horrific chapter of human history that many of us would otherwise know nothing of. Let me repeat: as many as 1 million people (the population of North Dakota and Wyoming combined) were slaughtered, and the politicians of the western world did nothing to stop it, and the media never gave it 1/1000th as much air time as OJ. Yes, it is a disturbing film, but it focuses on the brave struggle of one individual in his efforts to save as many lives as possible. So it is also a very inspiring film.
To be honest I was too engrossed in the story to be able to review this movie on technical merits such as acting, cinematography, musical score, etc. I believe that is the way to watch this film; it is not a film, it is an experience. A lesson. A reminder that, while we live our comfortable lives in 1080p HD Blu-Ray comfort, we have no clue what is going on with "the other half".
I will say that every performance was very convincing, and several scenes could be called poetic if they weren't so disturbing (I'm referring to the river road in the fog... but you'll see what I mean). I was instantly pulled in by Don Cheadle as the "everyman" hero of the story, and I was equally intent on supporting cast members such as Nick Nolte whose character was based on Canadian general Dallaire (even though the real Dallaire was never consulted about this film).
It's crazy, but you'll have to keep reminding yourself that this story is real, even though its plot is as preposterous as the craziest Hollywood fiction you've seen.
This is a film I highly recommend to people who like to get involved. Whether you're a political activist, whether you volunteer walking dogs at your local animal shelter, or whether you blog about life in general, this is a film for you. Yes, it will upset you. But I think in the end it will get you stoked to get out there and change this damaged world.