Beasts of No Nation- a kind of review

Last night we went to see "Beasts of No Nation," the movie by Cary Fukunaga and based on the book by Uzodinma Iweala.  I am also very proud of a friend who served as Executive Producer and so went to support her- it was a screening in a movie theater (the movie has a distinction of being released on Netflix the same day it was released into movie theaters, mostly art theaters such as the Landmark, where I saw it, because the "bigger" theaters, such as AMC etc, boycotted it because it violated the usual 90 day window between a theatrical release and a digital release.) There was a Q and A after with the director, which is one of the pleasant benefits of living in Los Angeles.

So, let me just say first of all, that I am a HUGE fan of Fukunaga since Sin Nombre, and then Jane Eyre, and then the first season of True Detective. I think he's genius. He also did the cinematography on this film and it is GORGEOUS.

So, SPOILER, here is the basic plot: a boy, Agu, (Abraham Attah) lives happily and peacefully in an African village in an unnamed country when a revolution breaks out in a confusion of different warring entities- the military is different than two different rebel groups is different than UN Troops... etc. People are fleeing their villages and those who are left behind are often the victims of killing and war crimes. Agu's mother and sisters flee, leaving the boys and men behind, and when the rest of his family is killed, he is forced into becoming a child soldier trained by the Commandant (Idris Elba, who is AWESOME.) I won't give away too much more but let me just list what is awesome about this film before I list a few of my objections.

AWESOME:
writing
directing
cinematography (beyond beautiful. Seriously, seriously great.)
music (incredible and immense and awesome)
acting (Idris Elba is an international treasure and this young man Abraham Attah is incredible.)
characters (you sort of love the Commandant until you are forced to hate him, but still have compassion for him. Then there is Agu's best friend, Strika, who you just fall in love with as well.)

I mean, this movie is so gorgeous and beautiful and has so many things working for it that it pains me to say a few things that I think were a few missed opportunities:

1. Only briefly is it one of the main causes of the civil wars touched upon: western colonization (i.e. Europeans, i.e. Americans, i.e. white people) and the continued exploitation of African resources. I feel like the Commandant could have been a voice for a deeper exploration and exposition of some of the reasons why these rebels are rising up in Africa (and other places in the world.) He briefly briefly touches upon it, but there was a real opportunity to give some clearer explanations for those of us living with our heads in the sand.

2. "Beasts" is in the title. I'm sorry, I know the movie is based on the book written by an African person, but... an American movie about people in Africa with the word "Beast" in the title. I think on the part of the novelist that might be THE POINT, that many people still consider these folks "Beasts." Oh, it's them, OVER THERE, in that other country, that other place, that uncivilized land where they don't even have running water, etc. No, seriously, just because it's 2015, don't kid yourself into thinking there are no longer rampant prejudices such as these... the proof is in the fact that not all children have enough food and education worldwide, that children are sold into slavery for sex, drug trafficking, military use, and organ harvesting. So in a way, so many of the film's "points" are sort of uncomfortable for me, as I am not sure we as a species have evolved enough to really understand the systemic problem inherent to that language and memetic value system.

3. SPOILER ALERT: It was fascinating to watch the audience respond viscerally, audibly, and loudly in protest when Agu is sexually molested by the Commandant. But no one made a peep at all the intense killing, mass killings, blood shed, or even rapes of other women. Is this because we are so used to that level of violence in films and it doesn't phase us, but we are not used to watching children being molested? It was just fascinating. I mean, it is all atrocious. But it's interesting what we are inured to in entertainment and news media.

GO SEE THIS MOVIE IN THE THEATER IF YOU CAN,
AND SEE IT ON NETFLIX.

But then think of how we can actually care. As we left the theater, Carlo said, "just think of all those kids in Africa, the child soldiers, the kids affected by war. And here we are at a movie theater where there are so many snacks and free water and they would be so happy if they could have access to just a little of it." I was thinking of this boy I sponsor through PlanUSA and wondering if I'm really helping- I mean, am I just an asshole, sending money and then thinking I've done my part? The question is, for those of us who can, how do we really help? We make movies, like this one, to stop turning a blind eye. But also, perhaps it is time to also start looking at the ways we are a part of the problem as well, so we can create shifts in the consciousness of humanity so that there are no longer the haves and the have nots in the first place. I'm not saying we can change the past per se, but maybe it is time to consider: what are we really wiling to live with and live without in order to help all the little Agus out there in the world. There is no difference between Agu and the Commandant in the eyes of God who sees them both as little children. There is no difference between Agu in an unnamed country in Africa and Joey in Wisconsin save for a few details in culture and money. We are all Beasts, and we only think we are "of" "some" nation, but I tell you, in a different set of circumstances, all of us become child soldiers. All of us could be Sin Nombre... and Beasts of No Nation, indeed.