Hotel Rwanda

Star Review

The massacre in Rwanda that claimed over one million lives was triggered by the still unsolved assassination of Hutu President Juvenal Habyarimana, whose plane was gunned down by missiles on his return from a conference in Dar-es Salam. Senior Hutu leaders used the downing of the plane as an excuse to exterminate Tutsis and moderate Hutus. While the UN maintained a peacekeeping presence they did not intervene, nor did the U.S., France, Belgium or other Western powers who had the power to stop it.

In the Oscar-nominated film Hotel Rwanda, the atrocity is dramatized through the story of the determination of one man who sheltered over 1000 Tutsis including his wife (Sophie Okenado), a Tutsi woman, and his children. Don Cheadle portrays hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina in a towering performance that earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Rusesabagina, who served as an advisor to the film, managed the Belgian-owned Hotel Mille Collines in the city of Kigali, a luxury hotel where UN dignitaries socialized with Western diplomats and media. As homes are invaded and bodies pile up, people are forced to leave their homes and seek shelter in churches, schools, and in this case the luxury hotel.

With supplies of food and water diminishing and the violence increasing, Paul pleads with his guests to telephone the outside world in a plea for help but with scant results. Hotel Rwanda allows us to see the conflict in human rather than political terms and Paul's loving relationship with his family is believable and deeply affecting. Hotel Rwanda is a moving and powerful film, an unflinching indictment of the political extremism that fed the turmoil, the indifference of self-satisfied Western nations, and the courage and tenacity of one man who made a difference.

Howard Schumann on 25th May 2005

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Film Description

A film based on the true story of Paul Rusesabagina, the man who refused to ignore the atrocities suffered by the people of Rwanda. As the violence escalated and innocent people were slaughtered, Paul opened up his hotel to offer shelter to the thousands in need.

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DVD Extras

• Audio commentary with director Terry George and Paul Rusesabagina
• Select commentary by Wyclef Jean
• A Message for Peace: Making Hotel Rwanda
• Select scene commentary by Don Cheadle.

Film Details

Cast

Joaquin Phoenix, Nick Nolte, Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo

Technical Details

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