{image1}In telling the tragic true story of tribal warfare in the African country of Rwanda, director Terry George could have plagued his audience with scene after scene of the brutal genocide that actually took place.
Instead, in his film, "Hotel Rwanda," George opts for a more focused take on the terror by closely following the struggle of one man whose unabridged compassion and courage pits him against the extremist Hutu rebels, the Rwandan tribe responsible for nearly one million deaths in 1994.
Although the film is not completely without disturbing footage of senseless acts of murder, the personal story of Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle), an ordinary man whose selfless bravery spares the lives of 1,268 refugees, takes precedence over the gore as the emotional story unfolds.
As the manager of the prominent Hotel Mille Collines, Rusesabagina's social status helps him as the tensions between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes increases. After the Rwandan president is assassinated, the country is overrun with chaos as the Hutu rebels ransack homes determined to completely wipe out the Tutsis.
After watching his Tutsi neighbor violently apprehended in the middle of the night by Hutus, Rusesabagina takes his wife Tatiana (Sophie Okonedo) and their children to stay in the safety of his hotel. Soon, they are joined by hundreds of Tutsi and Hutu civilians seeking refuge from the massacre beyond the resort's gate.
One of the film's many strengths includes the progressing development of Cheadle's character. When the fighting starts, his only priority is the safety of his own family. As the severity of the situation worsens, and the complete lack of international intervention becomes apparent, his growing sense of altruism leads him to risk everything to save the lives of helpless strangers.
Nick Nolte appears as Colonel Oliver, a good-hearted United Nations soldier who does what he can to help, but is limited by strict orders not to shoot at the Hutus. Joaquin Phoenix plays the frustrated and guilt-ridden Jack, an American journalist who has captured much of the inhumanity on video in hopes of shedding some international light on the crisis. Only, Rwanda's cry for help is completely ignored by the Western superpowers. There is no help on its way.
If the film sounds a bit weighted, it is. It's the only way a story like this can be told. That's not to say it dismisses any and all comic relief. It will allow you a moment to laugh just when you need it to, but it won't take away from the seriousness of the film as a whole.
"Hotel Rwanda" is now showing.
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
