Coming of age under Amin

Rating: 10/10 (11 April 2020)

The Last King of Scotland is a coming of age story. Nicolas a young Scottish doctor with the world at his feet and wants to explore the world. He decided to go to Uganda. The beautiful landscape and the vibrant locals immediately makes you fall in love with the country. The choice of upbeat, local music also played a big part in the feeling of carefree bliss in the sunny country with the warm people. It was very well-directed. On one hand you experience what Nicolas is experiencing: joy. On the other hand it adds to the shock when Nicolas is systemically pulled out of this reality by Amin and enters a harsh and confusing reality.
I don't know how much of the story is true. I've watched some clips on YouTube afterwards with Amin to see what he was like in real life. Needless to say Forest Whitaker deservedly won an Oscar for his portrayal. He dominated every scene he was in. He did a great job of being two people at the same time. A charmer who feels like an old friend and then on the other hand a scary individual who just by body language is able to confuse and frighten. It all felt natural and when you watch Amin irl you see the similarities. Some videos on YouTube are reenacted like the pool scene. However I don't know how much of Nicolas story was true. I mostly watched this movie as fiction. The only thing I believed because it's common knowledge is that Amin committed a genocide.
Nicolas is the viewer. He enters Uganda almost childlike. Not knowing anything about the Uganda under Amin. Learning as he goes along. And like the viewer he's spectating the story of a tragedy unfolding. Puzzle piece by puzzle piece he sees that things aren't what they seem. I liked this way of storytelling. It kept me engaged the entire time.
The Last King of Scotland is an excellent movie that ages like fine wine. It gets better when you rewatch it.