There are countless dilemmas that plague societies all over the world. In many cases, these dilemmas can result in things like rage, anger, devastation, hatred, and war. Out of all of the negatives that come from these situations, there can also come positive. Love, compassion, and strength are some of the positive traits that come to the forefront when humanity is needed. This is what the movie "Hotel Rwanda" illustrates.
"Hotel Rwanda" tells the story of Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle) and his attempt to protect over a thousand civilians during a rebel outbreak in 1994. It focuses on the real life events that occurred in his life during this time of war. Rususabagina decided to go beyond his duties as a hotel manager and become a true and honest hero in the eyes of anyone who knows his story. Not only did he attempt to protect his family, but he did all he could to help save the lives of several others that many thing to ignore.
This is a film that speaks to and about the human spirit. It does its best to show the sacrifices that one man can make and how that can change things for the better whether he benefits from it or not. I was impressed with the overall film and the story itself. The people behind this movie took the time to create an authentic feel that made you believe that you were actually seeing these things as they happened. Director Terry George did a really nice job of creating a film that properly emphasizes the heinous actions that took place during the Rwandan genocide. I also loved the consist of shots that showed off the beauty of the environment that surrounded the actors.
Speaking of actors Don Cheadle was a great pick for the lead role in this movie. He always seems to add an element of humanity to his characters and that's exactly what he did in this Oscar nominated performance. Sophia Okonedo also performed well as the wife of Cheadle's character and that earned her a Oscar nomination as well. The relationship between them seemed to fit what a lot of the other characteristics in "Hotel Rwanda" did. It helped to add to the realism of the film. The great acting from basically all of the actors mixed in with good directing, really allowed this real life story to flourish and become what it was supposed to be. It seemed to me that they pulled off just about almost everything that they needed to while making this movie.
"Hotel Rwanda" talks about the differences that we have. Some of these differences can be real and some are only things that we create in our own minds. In some situations, some people will allow these differences to separate us and cause a lot of problems that shouldn't can't really exist to begin with. The genocide in Rwanda presents us with an extreme example of what can happen when we allow these things to go too far. As humans, we should all be able to understand and embrace who we are, but also respect and tolerate the differences that each person or group might have. We see that mentality through Paul Rususabagina and this movie based on a difficult time in his life. He overlooked what ever differences that may have been there and fully understood that we are all human beings first and foremost. If everyone knew what he figured out a long time ago, the world over would be just as good if not better than this movie.
Score: 8/10
Rating: PG - 13
Director: Terry George
Cast:
Don Cheadle
Sophie Okonedo
Nick Nolte
Joaquin Phoenix
Jean Reno
Film Length: 121 minutes
Distributor: United Artists
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