Beasts of No Nation (2015)
Film details
Drama · War · Cary Joji Fukunaga · 2h 17min
Synopsis
Based on the experiences of Agu, a child fighting in the civil war of a West African country. Follows Agu's journey as he's forced to join a group of soldiers. While he fears his commander and many of the men around him, his fledgling childhood has been brutally shattered by the war raging through his country, and he is at first torn between conflicting revulsion and fascination.
Verdict
Devastating denunciation of child soldiers. Extremely graphic violence, for adults only.
In-depth analysis
Beasts of No Nation is an anti-war work of stark rawness. Director Cary Fukunaga constructs an unsparing portrait of how the African civil war devours a child's innocence, transforming him into an instrument of death. The film shies away from nothing: the viewer witnesses massacres, point-blank executions, the use of children as cannon fodder, and the psychological manipulation of Agu by the Commandant. There is an off-screen scene of sexual abuse that, though not explicitly shown, is profoundly disturbing for what it communicates about the total degradation of the minor. The cinematography is beautiful, which intensifies the contrast with the horror narrated. Abraham Attah's performance is heartbreaking. The narrative arc leads towards a fragile end of hope: Agu is rescued and taken to a rehabilitation center where, slowly, he begins to heal. The film SHOWS evil to DENOUNCE it, not to celebrate it. There is no ideological agenda — it is a cry against the recruitment of child soldiers. But the graphic intensity of the violence, the implicit abuse, and the emotional weight of the work make it appropriate only for adults with strong stomachs and formed judgment. Not suitable for minors under any circumstances.