:
Idris Elba,
Idris Elba,
Oris Erhuero,
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:
Raoul Peck,
Raoul Peck
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: Not Rated
: HBO Home Video
: Drama, Politics and Social Issues
: 140 min.
: English
: English, Spanish, French
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When the Hutu nationalists raised arms against their Tutsi countrymen in the African nation of Rwanda in April of 1994, the violent uprising marked the beginning of one of the darkest times in African history. Over the course of the next 100 days, brother would turn against brother, tearing families apart and resulting in the death of almost 800,000 people. Based on actual events that occurred during the uprising, Raoul Peck's affecting war drama tells the tale of two such brothers, whose differing loyalties found them on opposing sides of the conflict, and whose lives would never be the same following this tragic turn of events. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
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| Rwanda-cide
by talltale
May 12, 2005 - 10:00 PM PDT
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1 out of 1 members found this review helpful
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Raoul Peck's SOMETIMES IN APRIL is another version of the Rwanda massacre and one that is much more graphic than last year's "Hotel Rwanda." Even so, it comes nowhere near the horror of the actual event. Although the slaughter is heavier than that in the earlier movie, murder by machete (which was the rule rather than the exception) is not shown. The addition of graphic violence does not make this version any better. It is, if anything, less incisive, due to heavy hopping back and forth from past to present--in the process repeating things that we already know. Choirs sing out beautifully, mournfully (and quite hollowly) during certain scenes. This is by now such as cliché as to be almost insulting. (Even the movie's title carries a little too much sentimentality.)
Simply attempting to encompass a story this terrible is praiseworthy. Performances are fine, and the film is often quite difficult to watch. At the end, however, I doubt that many of us will have learned much we did not know already--or could not imagine--if we followed these events when they were current. Earlier this year Harper's magazine ran a transcript of interviews with some of the perpetrators that was infinitely more shocking and will probably remain burnt into my memory longer than either of these films. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 7.00)
5 Votes
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