Hotel Rwanda

Hotel Rwanda directed by Terry George is a phenomenally enticing film perfect to watch on a Saturday night sit down. It grasps emotions out of you, keeps you at the edge of your seat, and leaves you feeling extremely thankful for the current minute life issue that seemed overly dramatic a mere hour ago. Though it was great for my soul and emotion, I did not feel it was as effective for my mind and knowledge. The plot involves an average man climbing his way to popularity and status through serving the rich, the important, and the ignorant their wine and scotch. Though it may not seem this way at first, these people will soon aid in serving him back his life. Hotel Rwanda glorifies the life of Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle) making it known to the public what a heroic figure he played during the Rwandan genocide.

Don Cheadle does a magnificent job illustrating the hardships Paul Rusesabagina has been forced to witness. His intentions are clear in the form that he means not to be a hero to society, simply to fulfill his duty as husband and father by protecting his family. He is a man of intelligence and pride, of perseverance and honour, displaying the importance of a strong family backbone as it was his only motive for survival.

The physical appearances and the costume and set of this film truly portray the reality of the situation. Hutu extremist appear strong and display dominance over the helpless Tutsi’s who grow to appear sick and weak mirroring their vulnerability. The costumes worn help differentiate between the two social groups producing a visible distinction between them. By combining a colourful outrageous colour scheme the Hutu make their presence known to all and release their authority. This step can be viewed as the second stage of genocide, symbolism. Making it visibly clear which group you stand in strengthens the ideology of an “us” and “them” categorization and aids in dehumanizing the Tutsi's.

Though this film has the potential to provide great enjoyment, it does not grant as real a perspective about the massacre as it should. It presents a false perception of the circumstances of the Rwandan genocide and strongly belittles the involvement of the UN. It amplifies the influence of Paul Rusesabagina, and though he indeed saved many innocent lives, he is not the only hero to this story. The film ignores all other figures of importance that helped in the Rwandan genocide and focuses solely on Paul.  Lacking any background information about the massacre other than facts from this film, my vision would be blurred and biased towards Paul believing he was the only saint attempting to mend the horrific nightmare. Despite Hotel Rawanda's flaws in factual information, the overall film excels in all other aspects and is a must-see for all audiences.