LIFE DURING WARTIME by Mo Shaunette
Above: Abraham Attah stars in Mr.
Fukunaga’s new movie. Photo ©Bleecker Street
In an interview on the Nerdist Podcast,
director Robert Rodriguez once said that while making “Spy Kids,” he had to
convince studio heads that the movie should have a Hispanic main cast.
And how did he win that argument? By pointing out that the more specific
a movie is, the more universal it becomes—that specific, relatable touchstones
can help bridge the cultural gap. As Mr. Rodriguez put it, “You don’t
have to be British to appreciate James Bond.”
Writer/director Cary Joji Fukunaga asks us to cross that same bridge in
his new feature “Beasts of No Nation,” albeit while venturing into much harsher
territory. The film opens with a scene of children playing in a field in
an unnamed village glimpsed through the frame of an old TV set. The camera
then pans towards two boys standing by the frame, watching the kids play.
The message is clear: we, the audience, aren’t going to be watching this story
unfold from a distance, through the lens of a television; we’re going to be
forced to watch it with our boots on the ground, alongside the main characters,
for better or for worse.
One of the watchers by that TV is Agu (Abraham Attah), an adolescent boy
living in an unnamed West African village that exists in a buffer zone between
an oppressive military and a rebellion army. It isn’t long before Agu’s
home becomes a war zone, forcing him to flee into the jungle, where he comes
across a platoon of rebel soldiers led by the Commandant (Idris Elba).
The Commandant drafts Agu into the so-called Native Defense Force and leads him
on a bloody campaign through the country, during which Agu’s innocence is
shattered by the atrocities committed against him and committed by him.
In a story as heavy as this, you need actors who are capable of mixing
horror with humanity. Luckily, the cast brings it in spades.
Abraham Attah is fantastic as Agu, bringing pathos and commitment to the
character’s every persona—the innocent child, the scared little boy, the
dutiful soldier, the wearied killer, and the narrator, who asks God’s
forgiveness for all his sins between battles. Similarly, Idris Elba
brings swagger and charisma to the Commandant, a man so fully committed to war
that he is only ever referred to by his rank. The Commandant lives to be
a soldier, to lead his troops into battle, and when we learn that the war is
soon to end, we see that he’s a man who can’t go back to whatever life he had
before.
It’s important to note the level of restraint shown by “Beasts.”
Yes, Mr. Fukunaga never pulls his punches; violence, indoctrination, drug
addiction, and rape (much of which is committed by and to children) are present
throughout the film. However, Mr. Fukunaga never feels the need to be
explicit or sensational about these horrors. The camera rarely focuses on
gore and mutilation, instead letting the performances of the actors and the
score by Dan Romer underline the horrors of the Native Defense Force’s
campaign. The film is brutal without taking pleasure in the brutality,
and that’s to be commended.
Mr. Fukunaga also served as cinematographer for the feature, and he’s
still as sharp and clever as he was when he was directing the first season of
HBO’s “True Detective.” He has a talent for long takes that travel
through war zones, but also a keen eye for composition and montage. In
one scene, the Commandant makes a speech to his soldiers before leading them
into battle, while behind, a propaganda mural for the opposition depicts rows
of uniformed army men above the phrase “Leadership for the People.” This
makes it clear that the Commandant is no different than the military men he
decries as evil oppressors. In this war, there is no “right side” or
“wrong side”—there is only the violence that is tearing a country apart and
destroying the lives of its citizens.
“Beasts of No Nations” is a rough film to watch; even though it moves
quickly through its 137 minutes, it leaves you feeling weary and glad to be on
the other side. However, there is hope to be found at the end—the
possibility that life during peacetime is within reach for Agu. His story
is a powerful experience, one that begs to be watched. Definitely go see
this one.
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