Frequently we've seen American war movies presented through the
eyes of young soldiers, men barely of voting age and almost certainly too young
to drink, bravely wading into mud and blood of the battlefield. We look at
these films and shudder at the corruption of our young, the total loss of their
innocence, but only until the end credits roll. The ugly reality of war and the
soul-crushing impact it has on the young has never been depicted with the
brutality and soul-crushing honesty as in Cary Joji Fukunaga's Beasts of No Nation, a film
that will linger on the mind long after the lights have come up.
Or, since this film is rather
controversially opening in theaters and Netflix, it will linger on the mind
long after you've gone back to the main menu. While the Academy voters may be
hesitant to honor a film that can be streamed from your couch, Beasts of No Nation is simply too good to deny. It exacts
a devastating toll on the viewer, immersing them in a Hellish yet strangely
beautiful landscape from which no child can escape unscathed.
The child in this case is Agu (the
extraordinary Abraham Attah), a brilliant, creative young boy in an unnamed
West African country. He's smart, constantly coming up with new ways to earn
money for his family, although he's completely shielded from the conflicts
raging not too far away. He has a family that loves him, friends he plays with
endlessly...within moments we feel for this boy and wish his world could stay
this idyllic, this happy. We know it cannot. The fighting between government
troops and rebel forces soon touches his family in horrific fashion. Forced to
separate from his fleeing mother, Agu watches helplessly as everyone he knows
and loves is slain by paranoid, trigger-happy soldiers. All alone, Agu does the
only thing he can do and flee into the jungles where he is found by the
charismatic Commandant (Idris Elba), who recruits him into his army of child
soldiers.
Here is where the film takes a freshly
grim turn, as the layers of innocence shielding Agu are slowly stripped away by
his need to survive. The Commandant spots that weakness, that survival
instinct, and exploits it with a well-practiced ease. Surrounded by dozens of
boys no different than Agu, except for the blank stare of death in their eyes,
the Commandant soon has Agu shouting "Yes sir!" at every command.
Soon it no longer matters what the orders are. Agu needs to eat...he needs a
place to sleep...but more than that he needs a sense of family. And so it's
especially gut-wrenching when Agu commits his first awful slaying, an ugly
hatchet job that will leave audiences scarred from the very sight of it.
Fukunaga endured some terrible struggles
in the filming process, including a bout with Malaria that nearly ended
everything, but the results are worth. Every frame is dynamic with Fukunaga
capturing Ghana's natural beauty with his usual filmmaking grace. Using a
clever variety of tracking shots Fukunaga puts us squarely in Agu's muddied
boots, forcing us to experience this decaying world through his inexperienced
eyes. As if that isn't tough enough to bear, the film takes Agu down an
increasingly dark path. Drugs, death, and ultimately betrayal are the harsh
lessons Agu will learn, but he also learns something about hope and friendship.
The film goes a little off track in the final act as the Commandant seeks to
cement his loyalty to the Supreme Leader, revealing that he too is just a cog
in a larger war machine. In expanding the story's scope the focus is taken off
of Agu and his quest to find a place in the world.
Much will be made about the film's Oscar
chances but let's hope Elba and Attah aren't overlooked for their stunning
work. That Elba is the only recognizable face amidst a sea of unknowns only
adds to the film's hyper-realism. Elba, whose family is of Ghanaian
descent, fits into the role so casually it's a little disturbing. He brings an
unflappable presence that commands loyalty and results, whether his demands are
mundane or unfathomable. As great as Elba is, the film truly belongs to Attah
in his first role, for which he's already won awards on the festival circuit.
Watching him go from spirited child to cold-blooded killer is devastating, the
light slowly fading from his eyes as the film goes on. Aided by Dan Romer's (Beasts of the
Southern Wild) beautiful, subtle score, Beasts
of No Nation is a powerful
film that takes us by the hand and forces us to confront the true costs of
conflict anywhere in the world, especially on those who are most vulnerable.
Rating: 4 out of 5
