IMDb Rating: 8/10
*Mild Spoilers
This film is unique in the fact that it is the first (that I
know) feature film to be a Netflix original as well as showing in theaters. It
is an interesting decision, and I wonder if other filmmakers will go that route
in the future. It's a little sad to think that “going to the movies” may be
obsolete one day. But I digress; back to the actual movie.
The definite highlight of this movie is Abraham Attah's
acting. He plays a young boy in Africa named Agu who has been ripped from his
home after witnessing the death of his father and brother, and joining a group
of mercenaries as a child soldier. As if a story like that couldn't be horrible
and fascinating enough, the character becomes even more complex, because he is
promised revenge on the government soldiers who killed his family. What makes
this different from other child soldier stories I’ve seen (e.g. Blood Diamond) is that there is a part of Agu that wants to be killing the enemy
soldiers, even though he knows it is wrong. And this happens as soon as he
joins, before he is even brainwashed.
I was very invested in Agu and his family very quickly, even
though they were only on screen for a short amount of time. It was heartbreaking
watching his childhood and imaginative spirit taken away from him. One of my
favorite scenes was one Agu and his friends took the screen out of a TV and as
he changed the channels on the dial, his friends would act out soap operas,
dancing, and Kung fu. I loved it because it seemed like something me and
brothers and cousins would have done as children. It's that relatable moment
that makes it all the more traumatic when Agu's childhood is destroyed.
I wasn't expecting the rebel army to invoke so much sympathy.
I thought they would be pure evil and cruel to the children. Annnnnd only
minutes after I wrote that, the story got so much worse. Rape, kicking babies,
shooting civilians, and more. Agu asks God, “Are you watching what we are
doing?” It made me realize that no matter how much you humanize it, forcing
children into war is wrong. Really, war for adults is wrong too. No one should
have to go through it.
Agu watches as the Commandant, who was a hero in his eyes,
slowly reveal himself to be self-serving and slowly losing his mind. Edris Elba
is superb as the Commandant, as I knew he would be. I was so terribly afraid
that this movie would end badly, or depressingly. And while it definitely
wasn't cheery, there was hope of healing for Agu and the other boys.
I am definitely keeping Cary Joji Fukunaga on my radar. I am
obsessed with his version of Jane Eyre, but I haven't seen much else of
his work. If he keeps making quality work like Beasts of No Nation, I will certainly continue to watch it.
This is a great movie guys, and if you already have Netflix,
then you don't even need to spend a dime to watch it! If my predictions are
right, you'll have an Oscar contender under your belt for when the award season
rolls around. So go watch it! And let me know what you think.
