Free Hotel Rwanda: A Movie Review Sample

Hotel Rwanda is the story of a hotel manager who helped save thousands of Rwandans during a civil crisis between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes. Paul Rusesabagina is a Hutu married to a Tutsi woman. He is also the manager of the Hotel des Mille Collines, which later on served as an alternative home for several refugees and orphans. When the political situation worsened, people were killed violently. Thus, to keep his family safe, Rusesabagina bribed the influential people with alcohol and money. However, when the outbreak continued, his family and neighbors were threatened by Rwandan Army officers, forcing him to turn the hotel into a “refugee camp” as he struggles to maintain the hotel’s reputation as a luxury hotel. As genocide increases, foreign nationals are evacuated from the hotel, leaving the Rwandans behind. Rusesabagina continues to bribe Rwandan Army officers in exchange of the safety of everyone. When his bribes no longer work, he blackmails the General and threatens to expose his ways, which could eventually lead the General being tried as a war criminal. Later on, with the help of UN convoys, the hotel refugees were able to leave the premises and brought to safety.
What makes the movie, Hotel Rwanda, exceptional is that it is not about superhuman heroism, but about human decency, which shows that anyone can be an everyday hero if one chooses to. Sometimes, becoming a hero may not be what one really wants, but rather, one is only forced into it because of the situation. The movie rings with ethical issues, foremost for me, which is when Rusesabagina was only extending favors to Rwandan Army officers to protect his family. However, after seeing how people are getting killed and hurt, he gets a change of heart where he extends his passion to protect his family to protecting those who also need his help.
The movie portrays genuine power in the presentation of the movie because of its ability to talk about some dark days in history, and yet, is impossible to forget. The manner at which the story unfolds was subtle and without much noise, and yet, the heaviness of the killings and turmoil that the characters feel echo all throughout the movie. I felt the restrained emotions and fear that they felt during the killings, and rejoiced silently with them when they were finally led to their freedom.
The movie was able to portray clearly how man can change his views about wealth and success from a capitalistic view to humanitarian view. It shows that there is still an inherent goodness in man that may sometimes be clouded by other emotions in order to protect the love ones. Clearly, Don Cheadle, who played Paul Rusesabagina, was able to show the anguish and internal rage felt by Rusesabagina in reality, and his brave face will always symbolize the image of strength and heroism in the face of barbarity. His restrained performance handled with grace and subtlety is what keeps the audience mesmerized about the realities of genocide and war during those times. While Cheadle is the standout in the film, the truth the movie presented is, apart from Cheadle’s acting, what held the power all throughout the film.