Right up front I have to say this, if Beasts of No Nation is the reason why director Cary Joji Fukunaga had nothing to do with season two of True Detective (he directed every episode of season one) then all is forgiven. This movie is a powerhouse of a production. It's scope and breadth is impressive and it's intimacy is almost embarrassing. It feels like you're listening in on conversations you shouldn't know anything about. In my opinion Nation is on par with other war movies like Platoon, Apocalypse Now, and Full Metal Jacket. Cary shows how True Detective was no fluke and why season two was so horrible. This man is a talented director and I can only imagine how amazing Detective season 2 would have been had Cary been behind the camera. Based on the book of the same name by author Uzodimna Iweala, Nation tells the harrowing and heartbreaking tale of Agu, played by the amazing newcomer Abraham Attah, a little boy from an unnamed African village. His family is split due to the war heading their way. The village elders chose to send the women and children away while those who call themselves men would stay and fight, defend their land.
Nation is Attah's first movie and you would never know it, he's that convincing. When his father and brothers are murdered by the government backed military, Agu escapes into the woods. He's found by a platoon of the rebel forces of the NRC under the command of the Commandant played by the man himself, Idris Elba. He is in charge of an army comprised of little boys armed with AK-47's and other deadly armament who stay high on different kinds of drugs. They shoot where the Commandant says shoot and they kill who they are told to kill and they do this with absolutely no remorse. Cary downplays the violence as much as possible with this kind of story but there is one scene that made me incredibly uncomfortable. It's when Agu kills his first person. The man is clearly innocent but Agu is ordered to murder him and the look on his face as the blood splatters on the camera lens is unforgettable and disturbing.
Cary never details the heart of the conflict because that shit really isn't important. Knowing why there is a war isn't going to help you relate to or understand Agu better, it's his journey that's more important than anything else. You hope one day he'll find his mother and younger sister again but everyday he carries his weapon you realize he's getting further and further away from that heartwarming reunion. The logistics of Nation are almost impossible to comprehend. Getting such realistic performances from these children couldn't have been easy and staging the battles even more difficult I imagine. Now I already mentioned Cary was the writer and director of Nation but the man pulled triple duty as he was the cinematographer as well. This allowed him to get every shot exactly how he wanted it and every shot was beautiful. Scored by Dan Romer-who kept the music to a minimum-Nation's score is ethereal and breathy which represents the innocence of the corrupted youth. It's a job perfectly executed. Everyday we wake and are led to believe that we are here on this earth for a reason, that we have a purpose, but it's a film like Nation that can make you question all of that. The brutality of war is something most of us will never know, it will never touch us and we should be thankful for that. I'll see you at the theater.
No comments:
Post a Comment