Hotel Rwanda
First - a brief factoid about Rwanda from the CIA:
In 1959, three years before independence from Belgium, the majority ethnic group, the Hutus, overthrew the ruling Tutsi king. Over the next several years, thousands of Tutsis were killed, and some 150,000 driven into exile in neighboring countries. The children of these exiles later formed a rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, and began a civil war in 1990. The war, along with several political and economic upheavals, exacerbated ethnic tensions, culminating in April 1994 in the genocide of roughly 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The Tutsi rebels defeated the Hutu regime and ended the killing in July 1994, but approximately 2 million Hutu refugees - many fearing Tutsi retribution - fled to neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zaire. Since then, most of the refugees have returned to Rwanda.
"Hotel Rwanda" is set in the events of 1994, when the civil war is at it's worst. One man is caught up in the middle of the struggle and the movie is his story. Don Cheadle portrays Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager, who showed extradinary courage in an overwhelming situation. The movie does what I think is a fair portrayal of the events and people without having a clearcut take on who is "bad" and "good." We see the worst of humanity with the slaughter in Rwanda, and it's a reminder that this type of hatred and struggle is played out daily in countries around the world. Yet what makes this story special is the man Paul and what he did to save over 1000 lives.
The theater was nearly full and extremely quiet. Everyone was into this movie and what would happen to the people. Don Cheadle gives such a great performance, it's almost as if he really was the hotel manager. Nick Nolte and Joaquin Phoenix have supporting roles, but they are minor compared to the stories of the Rwandan people. At two hours the movie is paced well, provides an emotional telling of the story, and leaves the audience with a little more insight into a country that isn't top-mind for most of us.
If you get the chance to see "Hotel Rwanda", take it. For more Rwanda factiods visit the CIA World Factbook website at: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/rw.html#Issues
In 1959, three years before independence from Belgium, the majority ethnic group, the Hutus, overthrew the ruling Tutsi king. Over the next several years, thousands of Tutsis were killed, and some 150,000 driven into exile in neighboring countries. The children of these exiles later formed a rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, and began a civil war in 1990. The war, along with several political and economic upheavals, exacerbated ethnic tensions, culminating in April 1994 in the genocide of roughly 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The Tutsi rebels defeated the Hutu regime and ended the killing in July 1994, but approximately 2 million Hutu refugees - many fearing Tutsi retribution - fled to neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zaire. Since then, most of the refugees have returned to Rwanda.
"Hotel Rwanda" is set in the events of 1994, when the civil war is at it's worst. One man is caught up in the middle of the struggle and the movie is his story. Don Cheadle portrays Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager, who showed extradinary courage in an overwhelming situation. The movie does what I think is a fair portrayal of the events and people without having a clearcut take on who is "bad" and "good." We see the worst of humanity with the slaughter in Rwanda, and it's a reminder that this type of hatred and struggle is played out daily in countries around the world. Yet what makes this story special is the man Paul and what he did to save over 1000 lives.
The theater was nearly full and extremely quiet. Everyone was into this movie and what would happen to the people. Don Cheadle gives such a great performance, it's almost as if he really was the hotel manager. Nick Nolte and Joaquin Phoenix have supporting roles, but they are minor compared to the stories of the Rwandan people. At two hours the movie is paced well, provides an emotional telling of the story, and leaves the audience with a little more insight into a country that isn't top-mind for most of us.
If you get the chance to see "Hotel Rwanda", take it. For more Rwanda factiods visit the CIA World Factbook website at: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/rw.html#Issues
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