Hotel Rwanda Review
by Ryan Ellis (flickershows AT hotmail DOT com)January 10th, 2005
Hotel Rwanda
reviewed by Ryan Ellis
January 7, 2005
Joaquin Phoenix has a small but vital role as a conscience-stricken cameraman in 'Hotel Rwanda'. When asked what the rest of the world will think about the imminent Tutsi slaughter by Rwandan Hutus, he laments, "People will say 'that's horrible' and then go back to eating dinner." That he's so right about the world's reaction to this particular genocide is a tragedy. That he'd be right to say it about dozens of other genocides in recent years is not a tragedy---it's a crime of indifference. The world has looked away again and again. We never seem to learn our harsh lessons. This true story reminds us to stop forgetting.
That's not to say that incredible individuals haven't risen to the awesome challenge when faced with such hopelessness and blind hatred. Don Cheadle (that consistently underrated actor) plays Paul Rusesabagina, the manager of a posh Rwandan hotel. Paul himself is Hutu, but he never seems to drink from the same table as those who call Tutsis "traitors and cockroaches". By using his skills as a palm-greaser, Paul manages to keep the murderous Hutu army at bay, even though there are hundreds of hunted innocents crammed into the
**** tourist trap. So, yes, you could call this "Cheadle's List".
Having said that, I'd be disappointed if Terry George (who directed, produced, and co-wrote with Keir Pearson) mimicked Steven Spielberg's Holocaust picture. [As a sidebar, isn't it ironic that Spielberg's famous masterpiece was THE movie to see right around the time of the troubles in Rwanda? Even when the stories about 'Schindler's List' shared airtime with the Rwandan murders, no one said, "Hey, I remember that terrible thing that happened to the Jews 50 years ago," and then actually did something about history repeating itself.] George shoots his movie as simply as possible.
Robert Fraisse's cinematography should be acclaimed because it isn't worth acclaiming. Fittingly, the camerawork is simply just there. All things technical seep into the background and the story takes centre stage, as it should.
Maybe George's direction is among the noblest feats of 2004 because he doesn't take advantage of this material and beat you into submission. That tactic works when Mel Gibson does it, but the restraint shown in 'Hotel Rwanda' is what makes it so powerful. George doesn't just go for the throat and give us 2 hours of stark horror. It would so easy to make this a tear-jerker. I felt more hollow and guilty than sad. Paul Greengrass'
direction in 'Bloody Sunday' was the last time I can remember somebody documenting violence with such effective simplicity. And for a movie about machete killings, there's very little graphic violence.
There's tension too. When will the hotel guests start to die? It's bound to happen, right? Even though a star the calibre of Don Cheadle (who's in nearly every scene) is not likely to die before the climax, it's amazing that George can keep the tension ratcheted up the way he does. You just never know when Rusesabagina's protection (courtesy some friendlies in the U.N. peacekeeper corps and even a Hutu colonel) will not be enough to hold back the mob. When Paul's money and other favours run out, his ability to bribe is gone too.
Sophie Okonedo is strong as Tatiana Rusesabagina, Paul's wife. While her husband generally keeps his cool and looks his best (even though he must have been constantly terrified), Tatiana is not as visibly immune to the pressure. She's Tutsi, for one thing. Okonedo could have played the Hysterical Screaming Wife, but she has too much dignity to just fold up and quit. If she saw how many times Paul nearly dies, though, she might not be quite as calm. Interestingly, Paul and Tatiana never do the things they promised they would if the end seemed near, and it's a good thing too. They survive so long because of military protection, their courage, resolve, and plenty of dumb luck.
The entire cast is authentic, but there's one more man to highlight. Nick Nolte is Colonel Oliver, the U.N.'s chief peacekeeper. He, like Joaquin Phoenix, cuts through the bullshit. That's no surprise because Nolte is one of the most honest, emotional, and powerful actors in the world. He has a speech where he admits to Rusesabagina that the world powers won't intervene ("They think you're dirt. You're not even a nigger. You're African.") and it's as wrenching as anything in the picture. When a COLONEL sounds so helpless, it's time to be scared. Nolte's a big man, but he shows just how small and useless Oliver is when he doesn't have orders to stop the massacre...or the will to stand up and fight against it anyway. Fortunately, he doesn't always follow orders.
The Hutus aren't faceless villains, but the Tutsis have the majority of screen time. Considering what they did to a million of their countrymen, the Hutus are an easy target for hatred. They're butchers, so of course they're the villains of the picture. But let's not overlook that the Hutus are just one more example of misplaced rage. They've got problems and they've found somebody to blame. Like all the scariest movie bad guys, they're certain that they're right. They're an angry bunch, but at least we only have to see most of their dirty work after the fact. We can use our imaginations in figuring out what cutting people in half with machetes looks like.
But the atmosphere is not entirely grim in 'Hotel Rwanda'. There's a little humour, a surprising amount of which comes in the final 30 minutes. The actors hit the right notes from start to finish, winning your heart because they're not trying to. If there's one composition by George and Fraisse that will stay with me for a while, it's the poetic final shot. Rusesabagina's previously traumatized son holds hands with two orphans, leading them to safety. Maybe he learned something from the heroism of his father and mother. Did we?
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