Hotel Rwanda | Teen Ink

Hotel Rwanda MAG

By Anonymous

     “You do not think you can kill themall?”
“Why not? We’re half-way therealready.” - From “HotelRwanda”

“Hotel Rwanda” is an excruciatinglytruthful and harsh docu-drama addressing the Rwandan genocide in 1994.After the Belgian conquest, the Rwandans were split into two ethnicgroups: the Hutu and Tutsi. For a time, the minority Tutsi ruled andoppressed the Hutu, but when power reversed, the majority Hutu vowed toexterminate all Tutsi blood.

“Hotel Rwanda” tellsthe story of Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle), a moderate Hutu hotelmanager whose life deteriorates as violence and hatred take over hisnation. Although he is relatively safe, his Tutsi wife, family andneighbors face life-threatening conditions that shatter all safety intheir lives.

Paul’s elite Hotel des Milles Collines servesas a refugee camp for his family, neighbors and hundreds of otherTutsis. Their lives are in danger with every breath they take, but theyfeel blessed compared to those who are dragged from their homes,brutally killed, or sold into prostitution.

Paul becomesresponsible for the hundreds of desperate lives in his hotel and relieson the prospect of international intervention. When he learns there willbe no help, Paul must take matters into his own hands. Using bribery andsmooth talk, he maneuvers around violence to overcome the devastatingconditions and lead his people to safety.

This film is shockingand disturbing because it relates a true story of recent humansuffering. It reminds us of a “forgotten” genocide oftenneglected in school curricula. Perhaps this movie is most powerfulbecause it follows the struggles of a small group ofRwandans.

“Hotel Rwanda” is “real” to theaudience and informative about the tribal conflict and tragedy. Withremarkable performances and presentation of one of the most tragicevents of our time, this courageous film will make any audience burnwith anger at the unimaginable circumstances the protagonist must dealwith.



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This article has 5 comments.


i love this so much!

on Jun. 8 2013 at 11:23 pm
Positivity_At_Its_Finest DIAMOND, Morrow, Georgia
56 articles 2 photos 148 comments

Favorite Quote:
Life is a stage, get on it and perform your best act.

This is a very good movie. I first watched it when i was in like 3rd or 4th grade. Then I watched it again this year in my American Civics class.

Kinyarwanda said...
on Oct. 19 2011 at 4:32 pm
Your review is well-written. Hotel Rwanda is a good movie but the people of Rwanda do not feel it portrays what happened accurately. The man who owned the hotel turned anyone away who couldn't pay for protection. Sometimes in April is more accurate, but a new movie called Kinyarwanda, produced by a Rwandan, focuses on forgiveness and is the best movie I've seen about the genocide.

on Mar. 13 2011 at 3:16 pm
callie15 BRONZE, North Plains, Oregon
3 articles 21 photos 424 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I dreamed I was a butterfly, flitting around in the sky; then I awoke. Now I wonder: Am I a man who dreamt of being a butterfly, or am I a butterfly dreaming that I am a man?&quot;<br /> -Chuang Tzu<br /> <br /> &quot;No man with a good car needs to be justified!&quot;<br /> -Wise Blood

it's the strangest thing, my class was just learning about the Rwanda genocide and we watched this movie in class. it was a great movie and i highly recommend it. it really just makes you think how considerate are we to other countries and their problems.

on Dec. 29 2010 at 6:33 pm
starlight26 GOLD, Miramar, Florida
11 articles 7 photos 174 comments

Favorite Quote:
*life isnt about pretending to be something you&#039;re not. It about being who you are and finding someone <br /> who loves every bit of it.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Life&#039;s tradegy is that we get old too soon and wise too late&quot;

YES. This was an extremely sad movie.. I felt like crying but the tears wouldn't come out because I was overwhemed with fright for the people there. Great interpretations of the misunderstandings. It made you realize the seriousness that humans can clash, racially discriminating each other for who we are and eventually killing one another. Hotel Rwanda shows this so strongly it makes you want to tell the characters that they are wrong. Anyways, the main characters thrive in realizing the meaning of love and humanity. Sadly, I liked this movie. A must -see. Great review :)