Themes: Refugees, Unlikely Heroes, Righting the Wronged
Main Cast: Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Joaquin Phoenix, Nick Nolte, Jean Reno
Release Year: 2004
Country: ZA/UK/IT
Run Time: 121 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Hotel Rwanda tackles one of the most horrifically ugly events in recent history, when the Hutu extremists of Rwanda initiated a terrifying campaign of genocide, massacring hundreds of thousands of minority Tutsis (who had been given power by the departed Belgian colonists), while the rest of the world looked on and did nothing. Don Cheadle stars as Paul Rusesabagina, the hotel manager at the fancy Les Milles Collines hotel in Kigali. Paul is a Hutu, and a very successful businessman who smoothly greases the wheels, making powerful connections in all strata of Rwandan life. His wife, Tatiana (Sophie Okonedo of Aeon Flux), is a Tutsi. She urges Paul to use his influence to help local Tutsis, who are being harassed and beaten with increasing frequency, but Paul will only use the political capital he's built up to help his own family, if and when they need it. Soon enough, the violence escalates, and the Hutus begin their genocide of the Tutsis. European guests and staff at the hotel are flown out of the country, and Paul is left in charge. He finds that his conscience won't allow him to watch as the innocent are slaughtered, and before long, the hotel has become a well-appointed refugee camp. Paul is seen as a traitor by some, putting his life in danger, and the predicament of his "guests" grows more precarious every day, but despite good intentions on the part of a journalist (Joaquin Phoenix) and a UN peacekeeping colonel (Nick Nolte), the rest of the world is not eager to intervene and stop the massacre. Hotel Rwanda was directed by Irish filmmaker Terry George (Some Mother's Son), who co-wrote the script with Keir Pearson. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Review
Terry George's powerful Hotel Rwanda has more than a passing similarity to Schindler's List. Both films feature a smooth-talking protagonist who gradually develops a powerful conscience, to the point where he will risk his own life to save strangers. Both films also focus on a relatively uplifting and hopeful side story to an overwhelming real-life tragedy. In the end though, Hotel Rwanda is not about one great man. George conveys the horrific scale and barbarity of the Rwandan massacre with grace and efficiency, while eschewing graphic violence, and showing mainly its results. The redoubtable Don Cheadle delivers a passionate yet nuanced performance. But perhaps the film's greatest strength is that it manages to convey the context, both historical and global, in which these events took place without relying heavily on titles or obvious exposition. A simple scene in which Paul Rusesabagina (Cheadle) explains the origins of the conflict between Hutus and Tutsis to a reporter (Joaquin Phoenix) effectively conveys the situation's roots in colonialism and its contemporary absurdity, heightening the sense of tragedy. Phoenix's reporter has a key line later in the film, when he tells Paul that people will look at the terrible images he's captured on videotape that day, "say, 'Oh, that's horrible,' and then go back to their dinners." Hotel Rwanda is not a perfect drama. It's disappointingly conventional in its use of music, for example, and there is at least one moment of high drama that seems tasteless in contriving suspense. But it's an important film nevertheless that brings this critical juncture in recent history to vibrant life, and boldly implicates its audience in the tragedy it depicts, in an effort to make us examine our own responsibility as citizens of the world. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Bridget Pickering - Co-producer, Luigi Musini - Co-producer, Ruy Filipe - Costume Designer, Terry George - Director, Naomi Geraghty - Editor, Martin F. Katz - Executive Producer, Duncan Reid - Executive Producer, Sam Bhembe - Executive Producer, Hal Sadoff - Executive Producer, Andrea Guerra - Composer (Music Score), Rupert Gregson Williams - Composer (Music Score), Afro Celt Sound System - Composer (Music Score), Tony Burrough - Production Designer, Johnny Breedt - Production Designer, Robert Fraisse - Cinematographer, A. Kitman Ho - Producer, Terry George - Producer, John Midgley - Sound/Sound Designer, Terry George - Screenwriter, Keir Pearson - Screenwriter, Nicholas Meyer - Co-Executive Producer, Keir Pearson - Co-Executive Producer
The film is set in 1994, during the Rwandan Genocide in which over 1,000,214 people, mainly Tutsi, were killed by the Hutus.[3]Paul Rusesabagina himself, along with Michelle Croteau, were consulted during the writing of the film.
Plot
Tensions between the Hutu and Tutsi peoples lead to a war, in a country where corruption and bribes are routine. Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle), the manager of SabenaHôtel des Mille Collines, is Hutu but his wife, Tatiana (Sophie Okonedo), is Tutsi. His marriage is a source of friction with Hutu extremists, most prominently Georges Rutaganda, a friendly supplier to the hotel who also is the local leader of Interahamwe, a brutal anti-Tutsi militia.
As the political situation in the country deteriorates, Paul and his family observe neighbors being dragged from their homes and openly beaten in the streets. Paul curries favor with people of influence, bribing them with money and alcohol, seeking to maintain sufficient influence to keep his family safe. When civil war erupts and a Rwandan Army officer threatens Paul and his neighbors, Paul barely negotiates their safety, and brings everyone to the hotel. More refugees come to the hotel from the overburdened United Nations camp, the Red Cross, and orphanages. Paul must divert the Hutu soldiers, care for the refugees, be a source of strength to his family, and maintain the appearance of a functioning high–class hotel, as the situation becomes more and more violent, with mobs in the streets just outside the gates.
The UN Peacekeeping forces, led by Colonel Oliver (Nick Nolte), are unable to take assertive action against the Interahamwe since they are forbidden to intervene in the genocide. The foreign nationals are evacuated, but the Rwandans are left behind. When the UN forces attempt to evacuate a group of refugees, including Paul's family, they are ambushed and must turn back. In a last-ditch effort to save the refugees, Paul speaks to the Rwandan Army General, Augustin Bizimungu (Fana Mokoena) and when the bribes no longer work, he blackmails him with threats of being tried as a war criminal. The family and the hotel refugees finally leave the besieged hotel in a UN convoy, and they travel through retreating masses of refugees and militia to reach safety behind Tutsi rebel lines.
The film opened in limited release. It has grossed $33 million to date, making it a success for an independent film. According to the 3 December 2006 edition of 60 Minutes, Hotel Rwanda was the fifth most-rented movie on Netflix at the time. It is currently the 17th most-rented movie on Netflix.[4]
Reception
The film has received a great deal of critical acclaim, with a 92% 'fresh' rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 178 reviews.[5] In the United States, the film was originally rated R, but is one of the few films that appealed the rating and won. It was re-rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images and brief strong language. Hotel Rwanda was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Don Cheadle, Best Supporting Actress for Sophie Okonedo, and Best Original Screenplay for Keir Pearson and Terry George.
The film is also the subject of criticism from various groups, as it is seen that its successful box office return was not reflected in donations to survival charities such as the Survivors Fund (SURF):
“For too long survivors have lived with broken promises, and the producers of Hotel Rwanda should learn from this lesson and fulfil their commitment to give back to the survivors profits made from the film. This is a sad and regretful case of people profiting from the tragedy of others.”
The American Film Institute ranked Hotel Rwanda as #90 on its list of the 100 most inspirational movies of all time.[6] Film critic Richard Roeper said that it was one of the most inspirational films that he had ever seen and named the film the best of 2004.[7]Roger Ebert gave the film four-stars[8] and ranked Hotel Rwanda as the ninth best movie of 2004.[7] Ebert's website provides a summary of additional reviews of the film.[9]
