The majority of
films are forgettable. A slim minority are entertaining. A precious few are
insightful. And then, every so often, a film comes along that is truly
significant. Hotel Rwanda is one such film.
Hotel Rwanda
is a significant film primarily because it documents an era in history when the
system broke down. It was a time when people around the world glanced up at
their television sets during dinner, saw images of carnage and genocide, and
then calmly resumed their meals. Over a period of 100 days in 1994, nearly one
million people were massacred in Rwanda—many of them women and children, and
most of them hacked to death by their neighbors with machetes. But, apart from
a few NGO’s and religious groups, the world didn’t lift a finger to stop the
killing.
Outsiders did not
intervene, this film argues, because to most people, Rwandans were not even
“niggers,” they were Africans. While racism likely had something to do
with our hesitance to intervene, I am certain that bureaucratic squabbling and
incompetence were just as significant. But no matter why the world failed to
step forward, the fact remains that nearly one million people died, and
millions more were injured and/or traumatized by the violence. If there is one
message that comes through loud and clear in this film, it is this: Never
again. As difficult as it is to imagine, we would be naïve to think that
such atrocities will not happen again somewhere in the world. I just pray that
we have learned enough from our indifference and incompetence in this situation
to respond more appropriately in the future.
Hotel Rwanda is
also significant because it shows us that in the midst of the carnage (which
the film mostly suggests rather than depicts), there were also people who did
care. One of these people was Paul Rusesabagina, manager of the Hotel Des Milles Collines, a four star
establishment in Kigali. Paul’s intentions are far from selfless at the
beginning of the film. He is more focused on currying favor with the power
elite than helping his fellow man. But when the killing begins, he does not
hesitate to use his connections to protect Tutsi and Hutu refugees, eventually
sheltering 1,286 of them in his hotel. As this film portrays, this was an extraordinary
feat, made possible mainly by Rusesabagina’s influence, intelligence,
bravery, and wit. Other heroic figures
in this film include the embittered UN colonel tasked with watching the
massacre but not intervening, a young news cameraman who lays his life on the
line to get the story to the world, a Red Cross worker who is forced to witness
the execution of the children she is trying to rescue, and numerous unnamed
Catholic priests and nuns. With so many films, TV shows, and politicians
suggesting revenge as the only appropriate response to evil, it is refreshing
to see a film that demonstrates characters who embrace an alternate point of
view. While the Hutus and Tutsis were slaughtering each other as a way to
settle old scores—trying to overcome evil with evil—Rusesabagina and
company were trying to overcome evil with good. And, miracle of miracles, it
worked! For those who wonder whether there really is anything good in the midst
of all the horror they witness on CNN each week, this film answers with a
resounding “Yes!” There is reason for hope. All it takes is for good men and
women to act boldly in the face of tragedy.
Finally, this
film is significant because it reminds us that no matter how comfortable our
lives are over here, there are always people living over there for
whom comfort is but a vague thought at the bottom of a long list of primary
needs. With the death toll from the South Asian tsunami still rising, this is
hardly a new thought. But I am certain it will not be long before we, too, look
up from our dinner at the scenes of horror caused by this natural disaster, and
then resume our meal. As any aid agency will tell you, people have a tendency
to respond generously to such situations out of emotion over the short term.
But that response quickly fizzles out as we become immune to the images and
resume our normal lives. Hence, we need films like Hotel Rwanda to help
us fend off indifference and remind us that giving is not a one-time event. If
we truly want to make a difference, if we truly want to prevent tragedies like
Rwanda from happening again, generosity must become a lifestyle.
When it comes
time for the Oscars this February, I hope Hotel Rwanda is nominated for
Best Picture, if only because that means more people will see it. That said; I
am doubtful it will win, mainly because from an artistic point of view, it is
not exactly a spectacular film. The acting is first-rate, especially by star
Don Cheadle, and the script is solid. But director Terry George has chosen
dramatic realism over flash and style, which may not impress some voters. I
guess it all comes down to what Academy members base their votes on: style or
significance. If it is the latter, Hotel Rwanda will definitely go home
with the gold.