More than just an African 'Schindler's List'

Rating: 8/10 (12 February 2005)

Based on the 1994 genocide between the African "tribes" of the Hutu's and the Tutsi's, Hotel Rwanda has gotten decidedly mixed reviews. Before seeing the film, I was a little surprised since such subject matter alone is usually powerful enough to lead a film to critical acclaim. After seeing the film, though, I was incredibly surprised, as this is one of the most powerful and harrowing films I've seen in a year. It moved me in a way most films fail to do.
Documenting a sadly little known event from just a mere decade ago, when nearly a million Rwandans were killed brutally with machetes and other weapons in the short time span of two months, everything within the film works. It never becomes manipulative or sentimental, always letting the emotions flow naturally. It also never becomes a blood fest, instead letting the majority of the violence be seen in small glimpses. It is an effective strategy that actually shocks more than any amount of hacked limbs and bloodied faces could.
However, the film does become a wagging finger at those around the world that did not do enough, or anything. Yet, it does not blame without a purpose. This is a film that urges it's viewer not only to look back at history and have a reaction, but to look at today and forward into the future and to seek out the injustices that occur now so that perhaps those in need will not become abandoned again. For example, in Somalia the 'G' word has been brought up for atrocities occurring to this very day.
Then there is Paul Rusesabagina, played by Don Cheadle. Simply put, Cheadle becomes his character, never going for the showy theatrical bits that will look good in a 30-second clip. Rather, he embodies the spirit of a true honest-to-God hero. The actual Rusesabagina helped on the set of Hotel Rwanda, and the touch of honesty that would have come from the real Paul is evident on screen and in Cheadle's presentation. Ultimately, Rusesabagina is a name as worthy as Oskar Schindler.
Ignoring the built in power of the subject matter, though, Hotel Rwanda is a work of cinema and art on its own merits too. I first began to realize I was in for more than a Discovery channel special in an early scene before the genocide, as lightening brightens the sky at intermittent points. It is a brilliant way to foreshadow the coming storm Rwanda is about to face. Rusesabagina himself is a Hutu, but his wife and many of his friends are Tutsi, and as Rusesabagina and some friends are talking about the looming danger on the horizon as Tutsi members have become verbal targets thanks to a local radio station's spreading of propaganda, the brilliant touch of the lightening that is not overused but rather subtly inserted into the background helps create a sense of unease.
Ultimately, this is a film that needs to be seen. The Oscar nominations come out tomorrow, January 25th, and I hope this film picks up several nods partly to help it gain more attention in a way the actual event never really did. The film is as powerful as Schindler's List but still unique in its own right, helping to illuminate a terrifying but little known event. Hotel Rwanda is testament that there is always a reason to stand up against humanity's greatest flaws, and that those who turn their backs can be just as dangerous as the ones who carry the bloody machetes down into their local neighborhoods.