Having just finished watching this film, I'm still filled with a sense of regret and guilt on behalf of my species. I've seen Gen. Dallaire speak and I've seen him restrain his breaking down when recalling the events of this film.
For a soldier, what could be harder than to stand back, gun in hand, and not do anything to stand up for what you believe in because of the decisions of bureaucrats on the far side of the world who can wash their hands of the events.
This film, for me, showed the concurrent breakdown of humanity in Rwanda and of sanity in Gen. Dallaire, to the point where, afterwards, they respectively barely cling to both.
I thought the film was beautifully filmed and tells a gruesome story as expertly as can be, but should not merely been seen as a documentary of events which occurred. It's not just a story of the Rwandan genocide, but rather the story of the role of a good man in those events and the effect that story has on him throughout. That came across to me about as clearly as it possibly could have.
This film also leaves me with a reprehension for the UN and the external "laissez faire" politics of the worlds "first world countries".
For a soldier, what could be harder than to stand back, gun in hand, and not do anything to stand up for what you believe in because of the decisions of bureaucrats on the far side of the world who can wash their hands of the events.
This film, for me, showed the concurrent breakdown of humanity in Rwanda and of sanity in Gen. Dallaire, to the point where, afterwards, they respectively barely cling to both.
I thought the film was beautifully filmed and tells a gruesome story as expertly as can be, but should not merely been seen as a documentary of events which occurred. It's not just a story of the Rwandan genocide, but rather the story of the role of a good man in those events and the effect that story has on him throughout. That came across to me about as clearly as it possibly could have.
This film also leaves me with a reprehension for the UN and the external "laissez faire" politics of the worlds "first world countries".