DVD | Sometimes In April

Rating: M - Contains Violence & Offensive Language.
Duration: 140 mins.
Genre : Drama.
Actors: Noah Emmerich, Idris Elba, Arthur Yuhi Abia, Andrew Benon, Charles Bwanika, Oris Erhuero.
Release Date: Available now.

Sometimes In April is an HBO dramatisation of the 1994 Rwandan massacre. Some may think of this as the poor cousin to the movie Hotel Rwanda, but they would be wrong. Granted, there were no big names in April, and it was not as polished as Hotel Rwanda, but it was far more encompassing in its portrayal of what happened.

Rather than focussing on the heroics of one man, April looks at the story of two brothers, but seems to draw on the whole situation, rather than keeping the attention on any one person or place.

Filmed primarily in Rwanda, April revisits some of the locations focused on in the movie, making for a poignant retelling, and adding some authenticity.

Instead of focussing only on the past, April weaves the story through flashbacks, as both brothers have to come to terms with choices they made 12 years ago. This adds to the tension, and keeps the movie moving along.

For such a long movie, it never seems to slow down, without really setting a blazing pace. It’s a movie that, rather than focussing on the action, gets it’s pace for the sheer amount of emotional turmoil that the viewer is presented with.

This is by no means, an entertaining movie in the real sense of the word, it is however compelling. Beautifully filmed, in various locations and situations, many of the scenes will disturb you – if they don’t, you should be worried about your emotional state.

The movie also points the finger at the West’s inability to act, or even a lack of desire to do anything. We hear of Kurt Cobain’s death on the radio, and see American diplomats posturing to avoid sending American ‘boys’ into another Mogadishu. We see very few sympathetic Western ears.

You may think that this is nothing more than a depressing movie with no redemptive purpose, but you’d be wrong. April sheds light on some amazing situations, where friends make truly sacrificial choices.

Food for thought
Racial hatred brought on by years of simmering un-forgiveness is what bought the once Christian nation of Rwanda to its knees. Is there anything simmering below the surface in your life that needs attention before it erupts into something bigger?