'DEVIL' MAKES 'HOTEL RWANDA' LOOK WELCOMING.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic 'HOTEL RWANDA,'' Terry George's look at the 1994 Rwandan genocide The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass killing of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutu sympathizers in Rwanda and was the largest atrocity during the Rwandan Civil War. , was horrifying, yet ended on a hopeful note. One thousand people were saved by a man who risked his life and his family in order to do the right thing. It was an inspiring story in the midst Adv. 1. in the midst - the middle or central part or point; "in the midst of the forest"; "could he walk out in the midst of his piece?" midmost of utter tragedy. ``Shake Hands With the Devil'' gives us the flip side Flip side In the context of general equities, opposite side to a proposition or position (buy, if sell is the proposition and vice versa). . This documentary shows us another man, Lt. Gen. Romeo Dallaire, the commander of the tiny, underfunded un·der·fund tr.v. un·der·fund·ed, un·der·fund·ing, un·der·funds To provide insufficient funding for. underfunded adj → infradotado (económicamente) United Nations peacekeeping force peacekeeping force n → fuerza de pacificación peacekeeping force n → forces fpl qui assurent le maintien de la paix stationed in Rwanda in 1994. Dallaire, too, tries to do the right thing, attempting to prevent the horrible slaughter that he saw coming. But his warnings were ignored, and he was powerless to stop more than 800,000 Rwandans from being murdered in 100 days. George has spoken of the steps he needed to take to secure a PG-13 rating for ``Rwanda'' so he could put the film in front of the largest audience possible. ``Devil'' has no such concerns, and director Peter Raymont gives us piles of dead bodies while Dallaire provides the voice- over, wading through the memories that horribly haunt him. The idea is to present the savagery in plain view so that when Dallaire talks about the world's indifference to the plight of these people, you're left feeling both amazed and ashamed. And little has changed. We see Dallaire return to Rwanda on the 10th anniversary of the atrocities to attend a ceremony of remembrance. Few others bother to show. ``Why was there this incredible moral default?'' asks Stephen Lewis
Nick Nolte played a fictionalized version of Dallaire in ``Hotel Rwanda,'' doing his best to convey the man's anguish and profound sense of frustration and helplessness. In ``Devil,'' we see Dallaire return to the scene of the crime, not to politicize po·lit·i·cize v. po·lit·i·cized, po·lit·i·ciz·ing, po·lit·i·ciz·es v.intr. To engage in or discuss politics. v.tr. it, but to try to put his bitterness and depression behind him. Seeing the progress the country has made does his soul good, as does the fact that Rwandans today recognize him as a true hero. Watching this film, you'll feel the same way, too. Glenn Whipp, (818) 713-3672 glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL - Three stars (Not rated: strong images of violence) Director: Peter Raymont. Running time: 1 hr. 31 min. Playing: Landmark's Nuart Theater in West Los Angeles
In a nutshell: Another side of the 1994 Rwandan genocide; this time there is only horror and little hope. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Romeo Dallaire, who was in charge of the small U.N. peacekeeping force in Rwanda during the genocide there, returns to the country in ``Shake Hands With the Devil.'' |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion