The tragedies of today are tomorrow's bargain matinée

Rating: 9/10 (24 July 2005)

When Terry George decided to make this film he did so in order to tell the story of one man's struggle to protect the lives of his family and of those taking refuge under the roof of the hotel he managed. The manager, Paul Russesabagina (Don Cheadle) awoke each new day to find an ever changing set of rules to follow and new rulers to appease with bribes. Paul only learns about the massacres taking place outside of the hotel through radio broadcasts, photographers, medics and UN peacekeepers.
I don't believe it was crass (as it has been stated on some reviews) to focus on the story of an individual who survived the massacre as opposed to the lives of nearly a million who were murdered. I think the viewer gets the idea that a genocide is taking place, we feel it as the boundaries surrounding the hotel become breached and any semblance of protective help is being pulled out of the country. In fact, one of the most heart wrenching scenes takes place during an evacuation of all non-native people. On the bus to safety we can see every type of person on board who isn't a Tutsi. Even dogs are allowed on the bus, just not any of the Tutsi people. As the bus pulls away from the hotel, the gravity of the situation is all very clear to those left behind. And as this is the story of the incredible survival of Paul Russesabagina and those he was able to save from a certain death, his story becomes all the more remarkable.
Terry George has helped to shine a light on a massacre that went largely unnoticed or ignored by millions of people. He did so by focusing the story of the movie onto one man's struggle for survival. Perhaps by making this movie he may have also helped to make us more aware of our place in the world at large, so that we may better shape any upcoming acts of genocide to occur in the future. Or perhaps we'll stay insulated in our own heads with images of celebrity, comfort and consumerism where "the tragedies of today are tomorrow's bargain matinée".
For those who have read the above header and think it to be crass, you would be correct, it is crass. However, that doesn't make the header any less true. I could have titled it, "Shop Hotel Rwanda", but the thoughtful people from Amazon.com have already beaten me to it (look over to the right for the advertisement link). I really don't believe that Amazon.com put any malicious thought into the shopping link for the movie consumers that surf IMDb, the link is a completely automated provision that is supplied to every movie in its database. But you could understand that someone, perhaps most people, would be offended by it. I'm sure the header I've thought up for this movie review will offend someone, but I can't say that was my truest intention. It may be a cynical thought, but it happens to be true. What light it is seen in is entirely up to interpretation. I believe Terry George had the best of intentions, I don't believe he made his movie to be crass.
The important lesson to be learned is that of learning any lesson at all. Even after watching "Hotel Rwanda" and being deeply affected by it, I wonder if I'll be able to live outside of my own head. I hope we have learned, but I realize that there was a time when the world at large looked the other way while a million people were slaughtered; now they can click on a link and 'Shop Hotel Rwanda'. 9/10 Clark Richards