Beasts of No Nation was… powerful.
This is an uncompromising film that makes no attempt to justify what is happening on screen to you. That can make this movie a harrowing experience full of heart wrenching child performances from Agu (Abraham Attah) and his fellow child soldiers. Idris Elba dominates his scenes as the complex leadership figure that Agu finds himself under.
Along with excellent performances and a gripping narrative, the technical prowess exhibited here on a film made for only 6 million dollars is nothing short of phenomenal. The cinematography uses selective wide shots to really sell you on the setting and the editing refuses to cut away to spare you the gory details, resulting in some of the film’s most powerful moments.
The worst thing I can say about this film is that it gets incredibly depressing and begins to feel hopeless, it can be difficult to see a path forward for our protagonist and his brethren. I do feel as though this is an intentional and even integral part of the film but for some viewers it may be hard to take. The Oscars may have elected to wholly ignore this excellent film but if you've got a Netflix account you can watch it for free and make your own judgement.
9/10 A deeply human film.
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