Hotel Rwanda

So it's been well over a month since I last posted here. I've heard it from several friends about my lacking of posting and I simply couldn't find the time nor the energy to write. Well, after watching Hotel Rwanda last night, I think it's time for me to start this baby up again.


Rarely do films move me. Forget about moving me, I rarely even get emotional during movies let alone look internally to imagine what the character must be going through. But watching the events unfold in this story really made me wonder if I could ever do what Paul Rusesabagina did to save the lives of almost 1300 Rwandan refugees. What's makes this true story even more amazing is that this man isn't someone who crusaded to change the world. He was simply confronted with a situation and dealt with it. I'm sure he felt overwhelmed at some points (they had a "fictional" scene in the movie where Paul lost it after seeing hundreds of bodies strewn across the road), but he carried on and did what he knew was his duty.

And that's really what makes this story so powerful. It shows us that we are all capable of such things during the worst of times. Above, I mentioned that I don't think I'd be able to do what Paul R. did during the Rwandan genocide, but the thing is...he probably didn't think he could do it either. In fact, at the beginning of the movie, it's clear that Paul R. just wanted to look out for his family, but once thrown into the situation, he ended up saving almost 1300 people!

All of this being said, I really wonder how this movie didn't win more at the Oscars. Granted, the Oscars are not the end-all-be-all when it comes to stories such as this. In fact, the true test of this greatness for this movie is how many are moved to do something about similar events elsewhere (Darfur, Sudan for example). But in terms of the Hollywood crowd, this SHOULD be a hands-down favorite to win big time. Playing on the Hollywood stereotypes, the movie portrays an activist, he's non-white, he helps saves lives, he is truly a hero amongt villains. What else do you want? Ahh yes, that's right, nobody invovled in the production of this movie is on the "inside" in Hollywood. There's really no competition when it comes to competing against insiders like Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby) and current it-boys like Jamie Foxx (Ray). Congratulations on their wins, but seriously...have you seen Don Cheadle in this movie? How about Sophie Okonedo who plays Paul R's wife?

Ok, so I'll end this post without going on too much longer. If you haven't seen this movie yet, you've gotta go rent it. I haven't seen a movie this powerful in a LONG time and it's something all of should see.