The Academy Awards are upon us again. But what merits an Academy Award?
In his book Waking the Dead, John Eldredge says this in an effort to get us off our collective duffs:
“Wake up, O sleeper … Be very careful, then, how you live … because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:14-16). ‘Christianity isn’t a religion about going to Sunday school, potluck suppers, being nice, holding car washes, sending our secondhand clothes off to Mexico—as good as those things might be. This is a world at war. Something large and immensely dangerous is unfolding all around us, we are caught up in it, and above all we doubt we have been given a key role to play.’
We see just this theme played out in the movie Hotel Rwanda, unfortunately not one of the best-picture nominees for the year 2004. It should be, though.
Hotel Rwanda is about the genocide that took place in the small central African country of Rwanda in 1994, when almost a million people were killed. The minority Tutsis had been prominent during Belgium’s colonial rule, but the majority Hutus gained power when independence came. As the film opens, the Hutus are trying to massacre as many of the Tutsis as possible. Main character Paul Rusesabagina is the manager of a five-star European hotel in the capital city, Kigali. The excruciating challenge for Paul is that his wife Tatiana, whom he loves deeply, is Tutsi, while Paul himself is Hutu. When the ethnic cleansing begins, Paul is willing to save his family and friends, many of whom are Tutsi, but he soon undergoes an expansion of heart. The European staff of the hotel all depart, leaving Paul in charge, and he realizes what he has to do: make the hotel a refuge for the Tutsis, orphans, and nuns who are being persecuted. He is aided only by a few members of a UN peacekeeping force and must rely on his own resources. Paul is a good example of the kind of person who can literally save his portion of the world.
In the movie’s most telling scene, Paul is having a heated conversation with a western cameraman who is filming the events. Paul says to the cameraman, “When the world sees what’s happening, how can they not intervene?” The cameraman responds, “Oh, they’ll look at the pictures and say ‘Isn’t that horrible?’ and then go back to their dinners.” This is exactly the kind of comfort-induced sleep that John Eldredge is trying to wake us from.
American actor Don Cheadle plays Paul in one of the most convincing performances in a long time. British actress Sophie Okonedo does an equally excellent job of portraying his wife. They certainly deserve the acting awards they’ve been nominated for, but they probably won’t win them.
Here are capsule comments about three of the five movies nominated for Best Picture.
Finding Neverland: A charming story about J.M. Barrie, who wrote Peter Pan. Johnny Depp gives a great performance. It’s an especially good show for kids.
Million Dollar Baby: A tearjerker about a boxing promoter who agrees to manage a young woman in her early 30s driven to escape her trashy background by becoming a boxer. It has a terrific performance by Hilary Swank as the woman and good performances by Clint Eastwood (also the director) and Morgan Freeman. It’s too bad that the picture is full of instances of taking the Lord’s name in vain. Worse, it’s fundamentally an argument for euthanasia.
The Aviator: I agree with a friend who said he thought it was “a mixed bag.” It’s historically interesting as a portrayal of the life of Howard Hughes, whose character comes through clearly. However, it’s characterized by bad language and the glorification of moral turpitude. It could get the Academy Award because director Martin Scorsese has never won, and it’s supposedly “his turn.”
Hotel Rwanda certainly isn’t the most entertaining movie of the year. It’s not even entertainment, per se, and it’s not for children. It has the most to say about the Christian walk, though.
My Ratings: Film Ratings
The Aviator: 2 ½ stars PG-13
Million Dollar Baby: 3 stars PG-13
Finding Neverland: 3 stars PG
Hotel Rwanda: 3 ½ stars PG-13
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