Looking Out My Back Door

Powerful Movie, Excellent Cast

Well, I listened to Oprah and saw "Hotel Rwanda" this weekend. It left me feeling physically drawn and mentally weak. The story and the horrors portrayed within are real. This is a true story. Rwanda, Africa, 1994. The Hutus are taking their revenge on the Tutsi tribe, which had been chosen by the Belgians (colonizers of Rwanda) as the ruling tribe, largely due to their superior height, lighter complexions and narrower noses. Yes, they measured noses. When the Belgians left, the Hutus took over and mass murders began. Don Cheadle plays Paul, the manager of a Belgian five-star hotel (owned by Sabena, a major conglomerate in Belgium) in Rwanda. Paul's a smart guy. He saves up favors that he knows he may have to call in one day, gifting generals with expensive Scotch and hoarding Cuban cigars to hand out to other people of importance. Corruption thrives in Rwanda. When the fighting spills over to his part of Rwanda, Paul must bring his Tutsi wife and their children to the hotel for safety, and ends up housing more than 1,000 Tutsis in the hotel complex. He does this even though his first instinct is that family is all that matters. Paul does everything possible to save lives and, when the United Nations military forces (led by Nick Nolte) tell him that none of the superpowers are sending help, takes matters into his own hands. He calls the president of Sabena (an uncredited performance by Jean Reno) and gets assistance by pointing out how bad it will look for Sabena if one of its properties is destroyed and more than 100 employees killed. However, Sabena's influence can only go so far, and Rwanda gets more dangerous by the hour.

I'm not going to tell more of the story, because it's one that should be seen. Don Cheadle (so great in "The Rat Pack," "Boogie Nights," and other films) gives a passionate performance, nominated for an Academy Award. I would be amazed if he beat out Jamie Foxx (whose portrayal of Ray Charles is the favorite, for good reason), but the Oscars have surprised us before. Although I've been rooting for Foxx since seeing "Ray," this would be an upset that I could easily live with.

posted by Hopster @ 8:16 AM