Z/Web

Wow, what a film! I didn’t know much about this except that it was supposed to be good. I’d forgotten all about the whole Rwanda war and was surprised to find that’s what the film’s about. Well, it’s not about the war, per se, but about one apolitical man, the manager of an elite hotel in the capital of Rwanda, who saves the lives of over 1,200 he brings into his hotel and protects during the fighting. How does he protect them? Well, he calls in favors, manipulates, bribes, and conjoles — basically doing anything he can to keep his family safe. The Rwanda civil war was basically a race war — the Tutsis versus the Hutus, but it’s essentially impossible to tell the difference between the two by looking. But the Hutus are in power and they slaughter over 500,000 Tutsis in a massive genocide campaign (children and pregnant women were especially targeted as the Hutus wanted to wipe out the future generations). The hotel manager’s wife is Tutsi (he’s Hutu), so it’s amazing he was able to protect her. It’s a shocking story, grim and terrifying at times, and the way the West and the rest of the world abandonned and ignored the Rwanda situation is sobering. The director does a good job not making so grim it’s unwatchable — much of the violence is implied, not directly shown — and by focusing on one man and his family, we have a gripping story that’s just amazing in scope and power. Not only highly recommended, this is a MUST SEE. If you are human, you need to see this film. It’s is the kind of movie that will impact your life. You need to see it.