Hotel
Rwanda
Description of Film:
While the rest of the world closed its eyes,
the tensions between the two primary tribes
in Rwanda, the Hutus and the Tutsis, exploded
into full-out war. In 1994, one million people
were viciously murdered in the country of Rwanda.
Hotel Rwanda tells the true story of Paul Rusesabagina,
a Rwandan hotel manager caught in this bloody
war. As the country becomes a place of madness,
Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle, Traffic), secretly
uses his influence to shelter over a thousand
refugees during the genocide. Paul realizes
that he is the only hope for the refugees. Other
countries refuse to help; they rescue their
own people from the conflict and leave the Rwandans
to die. Countless times, Paul avoids the execution
of the refugees and himself by using every resource
available to him. Paul shows extreme intelligence
as he continuously bribes and bargains with
the Hutu leaders to spare the Tutsi refugees.
He sacrifices his job and even the safety of
his family to help the Tutsis people. The tragic
tale ends on a faint high note as the Rusesabagina
family and most of the refugees of the hotel
are able to escape the country to safety.
Hotel Rwanda was nominated for 3 Oscars. Overall,
it won 12 awards and received 24 international
nominations.
Why I Recommend This Film:
This movie graphically depicts the horrors
of a civil war. It gives us a very real picture
of civilians caught in a political battle. This
movie is not a simple Hollywood drama, but it
is a true tale of a man who tries to save not
only his family but complete strangers from
death. This is a true tale of a person trying
to give hope to others when all seems lost.
Why This Film is Important:
Hotel Rwanda shows us that race discrimination
is not always a black/white problem. The clash
in this movie is very different from ones that
are typically depicted in film or the news.
Hatred can be between people who have no difference
between them on the outside. This movie will
open the eyes of those who turn a blind eye
to third world countries. We can see that people
from other countries are not very different
from us. The unwillingness of other countries
to help Rusesabagina and the refugees provides
an important lesson. Hopefully, it will inspire
action in all of us to address such atrocities,
even if we are not directly affected by them.
Favorite Quotations: After
Paul thanks him for shooting footage of the
genocide...
Jack: “I think if people see this
footage, they'll say ‘Oh, my God, that's horrible.’
And then they'll go on eating their dinners.”
Paul Rusesabagina: “There will be
no rescue, no intervention for us. We can only
save ourselves. Many of you know influential
people abroad; you must call these people. You
must tell them what will happen to us... say
goodbye. But when you say goodbye, say it as
if you are reaching through the phone and holding
their hand. Let them know that if they let go
of that hand, you will die. We must shame them
into sending help.”
References: http://www.hotelrwanda.com/main.html |
