Beasts of no nation is a movie directed by Cary Fukunaga, starring Abraham Attah as Agu, a young african boy who finds himself forced by some unfortunate events to become a child soldier fighting in a civil war in an unnamed country, under the command of Idris Elba's character.
I'm not going to lie, this is a very intense movie experience, with many hard to watch scenes. It is told from the point of view of the boy, who, after losing his family, stumbles upon an army of rebels and is quickly brainwashed to become part of it. He leaves all morals behind and starts to kill in the name of revenge for his family, joining the other soldiers into committing savage acts on any person encountered in their way. The Commandant manipulates him with promises, only to abuse him physically. However, instead of hating Agu for his actions, you can't help but feel sorry for him and some sort of understanding because he is a child who lost his family, doesn't know any better and tries to survive in any way possible.
The kid's performance in the film is incredible, he manages to express such a variety of emotions at his young age, especially that the movie is so brutal, violent and treats themes such as sexual abuse, crime and drug abuse. The most notable is the one where he makes the transition from a scared little boy to a savage murderer, pressured by the situation. Idris Elba is not to be messed with, managing to portray a despiteful leader who puts grenades and guns into children's hands, brainwashing them to become killing machines.
The film has a terrifying dream like atmosphere to it, which sends chills down the spine of the viewer, but it has a beautiful cinematography. My only concern with the movie is that it is a little bit too long and has a few inconsistencies, but that is not a major problem. The movie manages to draw you in from the beginning, making it difficult to leave until it's end and is all together thought provoking, as these savage acts of murder by child soldiers are a reality, although many don't want to think about it.
As I read about the movie, I learned that it was shot only in 35 days in Ghana, which is such a short time for filming a movie, especially as complex as this one. Moreover, the director got malaria during the shoot. (now that is dedication! or simply bad luck). Not to mention the fact that the cast of the movie has numerous protagonists and all those people needed food, water and other basic needs which are hard to provide at the location.
All in all, this film is powerful, heartbreaking and brutal all at once, but it depicts a real issue and I think it definitely deserves more recognition. You should definitely give this movie a try!
