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The tragedy of one of the worst racial exterminations of the 20th century comes to life in Terry George’s Hotel Rwanda that shuttles between family ties and violence. It is not a film, it is a real-life experience, says Ervell E. Menezes
THIS tragedy of ethnic violence, of how one tribe decimated another in one of the worst genocides of our times, comes graphically to life in Terry George’s Hotel Rwanda. But it is also about how one man put his head on the line and from survivor to saviour rescued over a thousand of his tribesmen in the face of overpowering, almost impossible odds. The place is Kigali, the capital of the African nation of Rwanda; the year 1994; the man Paul Rusesabagina (Don Chedle), the manager of the Mille Collins Hotel that was known to be an oasis of calm for all its customers. He was told never to compromise on its high standards. Paul knew how to cultivate the higher-ups (read Whites and Blacks in power) with cohiba cigars and single-malt whiskies to win favours for him when required. This African manager is strong on family ties. "He is not family`85 family is all that matters," he says earlier on in the film. But this attitude swiftly changes when he is confronted with the mayhem of killings that follow. It is a case of the Hutu tribe butchering the Tutsis (or cockroaches, as they are derogatively referred to) and though much of the violence is off-screen, there are some powerful, heart-wrenching scenes like the one in which Paula cannot bear the stench of decaying human flesh on the road littered with the bodies of Tutsi tribesmen. Director George, whose Some Mother’s Son (1996) is an absolute classic on the Irish hunger strike in which MP Bobby Sands died, has been working on this subject for a decade and yet he doesn’t make a meal of it. He is judicious in treatment and shuttles between family ties and the action. Corruption is also succinctly dealt with in Kiguli that has been turned into a wasteland. Paul’s wife Tatiana (Sophie Okoneda) is his only buffer in these trying times as she stands up to her task manly. The role of the United Nations, too, comes in for close scrutiny. "We’re here as peacekeepers, not peacemakers`85 My orders are not to intervene," says Col Oliver (Nick Nolte). "Those who shelter the cockroaches are also cockroaches`85their fate will be the same," comes a Hutu announcement on the radio and it is panic stations for hundreds of Tutsis who find shelter in the hotel. One of the Hutu employees even dares to occupy the Presidential suite in scant regard for the manager. "We must shame them (the outside world) into getting help," the trapped refugees, they say`85 the French, Belgians, whoever. The situation seesaws almost by the hour. Children hide under beds, adults turn children with fear. Everything is upside down and inside out. Chaos. Horror. Don Chedle, who some will remember as the joker in the latter Police Academy films about two decades ago, has by now become an excellent character actor with good performances in Traffic and Boogie Nights. But here he outdoes his other roles and is admirably supported by Sophie Okonedo as his under-stress wife. Nick Nolte and Joaquin Phoenix of Gladiator fame are wasted in weak cameos and veteran French actor Jean Reno also makes a fleeting appearance that can be missed in the blink of an eye. But not Hotel Rwanda, which will stay etched in memory for years to come for its graphic treatment of one of the worst genocides of the 20th century. It is not just a film, it is a real-life experience. Don’t miss it. |
