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Beasts of No Nation
(2015),
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga, rated TV-MA for war
violence, rape, disturbing images
Child.
Captive. Killer.
  Starring:
Abraham Attah, Idris Elba, Ama K. Abebrese, Kobina Amissa-Sam,
Emmanuel Nii Adom Quaye, Kurt Egyiawan, Jude Akuwudike, Grace
Nortey
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★☆☆
- great
"Bullet is just eating
everything, leaves, trees, ground, person. Eating them. Just
making person to bleed everywhere. We are just like wild animals
now, with no place to be going. Sun, why are you shining at this
world?" - Agu, narrating
Why watch this?
Shut the hell up with your privileged American problems.
Plot Summary: A
young boy named Agu is forced to flee his small West African
village after it is torn apart by a brutal civil war and his
family is separated. He is captured by a ruthless rebel militia
commanded by a charismatic leader who indoctrinates him into a
life of guerrilla warfare and violence. The film follows Agu's
harrowing journey as he loses his innocence, struggles for
survival, and faces the horrors of being a child soldier.
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Dad's Preview:
This harrowing film, shot mostly in Ghana, exposes its
audience to a sobering account of a West African civil
war (based on the Sierra Leonean Civil War - 1991 thru
2002). It follows a young boy, Agu, who is captured,
then forced to become a guerrilla fighter for a band
known as the Native Defense Forces (NDF). The NDF is
mostly teenagers and young boys. They are led by the
Commandant (portrayed masterfully by Idris Elba), who
demands loyalty to the cause. It was ingenious to have
Agu's gentle narration take us on his journey. His
innocent voice gives us hope that there's a possibility
for this child to escape. His thoughts of vengeance turn
to longing, to find his mother and play with friends
again... even if he feels he is becoming a monster. This
film is intense and unrelenting, yet somehow, through
this boy's sheer will to survive, we walk away hopeful. |
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Participant Media, New Balloon Primary Prod., Parliament
of Owls; Netflix |
