Human Face on Little Known Genocide...Devastating Viewing

Rating: 10/10 (20 February 2006)

The thought of almost a million people killed over a 100-day period is beyond imagination, but that is exactly what happened a mere ten years ago in Rwanda when the dominant Hutu tribe slaughtered the minority Tutsi tribe in a civil war that drew little media attention, and much worse, minimal help from the United Nations peacekeeping forces. The killings were the most brutal possible, as the Tutsis were murdered one person at a time. Just like Oskar Schindler, Paul Rusesabagina is the unlikeliest of heroes, as this soft-spoken family man and savvy negotiator is put to the test in the posh HÃ´tel des Milles Collines, which he manages in the capital city of Kigali. Against absurd odds, he is able to provide refuge for nearly 1,300 Tutsis and consequently saved their lives. Written by Kier Pearson and Terry George, this remarkable story has been directed powerfully by George, who makes the wise decision to focus on the plight of Rusesabagina and his family rather than take a more epic approach to what would have been too overwhelming to view in full force. Their situation is compelling enough given that Paul is a Hutu and his wife is a Tutsi. Consequently, there is less emphasis on the actual killings and the political leaders involved, though enough is shown to leave a lasting impression. The prospect of death always feels imminent as the story whittles away all the parties who could have helped the Tutsis but chose not to.
Generally a dependable supporting player in grade-A Hollywood pictures, Don Cheadle is an inspired choice to play this reluctant hero, as the actor economically portrays a man used to making deals to get what he needs for the hotel and then uses this skill in response to the shocking events to pacify the Hutu general in charge. In fact, most of the film consists of his increasingly desperate negotiations as the stakes continue to climb, including making a devastating choice to stay at the war-torn hotel while pushing his family onto a truck that could mean their escape. Cheadle plays these key scenes with minimum fuss and makes them all the more emotionally resonant, in particular, when he has a delayed reaction to seeing corpses strewn on a fog-blanketed road and weeps uncontrollably as he is dressing to bargain yet again. Matching him every step of the way is the superb Sophie Okonedo, who transforms the standard wife-and-mother role of Tatiana into something quite transcendent. Effective in much smaller roles are Nick Nolte as Colonel Oliver, the commander of the U.N. peacekeeping force; Joaquin Phoenix as a cynical photojournalist; Cara Seymour as a compassionate Red Cross worker; and Hakeem Kae-Kazim as the wily Hutu general George Rutanganda.
The DVD has two excellent documentaries. The first is "A Message for Peace: Making Hotel Rwanda", one of the better making-of featurettes given the participation of the real Paul Rusesabagina, who reasons that the lack of global, specifically American, support in 1994 for the Tutsis had to do with the devastating U.S. losses suffered in Somalia and the fact that Rwanda has no bargaining chip of economic value, i.e., no oil, no natural resources other than coffee and tea. The second, "Return to Rwanda", movingly follows Paul and Tatiana Rusesabagina back to their native land after living years in exile in Belgium. He even participates in the audio commentary along with George and singer Wyclef Jean. Strongly recommended, in fact, essential viewing of a reenactment of a massive genocide swept under the rug by the Western media.