 HOTEL RWANDA Running time: 121 mins Starring: Don Cheadle, Nick Nolte, Sophie Okonedo, Joaquin Phoenix
Reviewed by Kevin Murphy | Tiscali Film & Tv Ten years after the West abandoned Rwanda, unwilling to prevent the bloody genocide that resulted in the deaths of almost one million Rwandans, Hollywood returned to make a movie about the tragedy. Writer and director Terry George's harrowing depiction of events will be of little solace to surviving Rwandans who lost family and friends, but it will hopefully educate the rest of the world about a humanitarian holocaust the extent of which few seem fully aware of. Hotel Rwanda is the moving true story of one man's heroic efforts to save his family during the 1994 civil conflict that saw Hutu extremists systematically try and wipe out their Tutsi neighbours. Paul Rusesabagina (portrayed in a career defining performance by Don Cheadle) worked at the four star Hotel Des Mille Collines in the Rwandan capital of Kigali. The hotel was an oasis of luxury amidst a city of poverty and Hutu Paul's prominent position enabled him to befriend the wealthy and influential hotel guests.
 When Tutsi President Habyarimana is killed by Hutu rebels in April 1994, it prompts the wholesale slaughter of Tutsis. With the country in turmoil, Paul, his wife Tatiana (Sophie Okonedo), their children and everyone else he is able to bribe the army to save, including some Tutsi "cockroaches", seek refuge in the hotel. Their only protection is the nominal and toothless presence of UN forces led by Colonel Oliver (Nick Nole), but when the word comes down that the West are effectively pulling out, it is left to Paul to protect the hundreds of people his de facto position of manager has left him in charge of.
There are parallels to be drawn between Hotel Rwanda and Schindler's List. Both show how one person can make a difference; that even when faced with the graphic evidence of man's inhumanity to man, there are people who exhibit a more redeeming side of mankind.
Terry George has done a remarkable job in conveying a very personal story while also establishing the broader political picture. It's a scathing indictment on the West's unforgivable reluctance to firstly even acknowledge the atrocities, then secondly prevent them. The voice of a US State Department spokeswoman evasively avoiding calling it genocide is as ironical as it is disturbing. The film admirably avoids exploiting the brutality of the conflict, though it's still hard to conceive of how it only warrants the kid-friendly PG-13 rating in the US. Instead it focuses more on the psychological impact of the conflagration, the arbitrariness of death and the devastating effects of fear.
It is to Cheadle's credit that such an established actor can divorce himself from recognition and simply become the personification of Paul Rusesabagina. His accent and performance are unimpeachable and worthy of all the plaudits including a much deserved Oscar nomination. The most important feature of such accolades is that they help bring an audience, a boon when the subject matter is so tough. Those who see Hotel Rwanda cannot fail to be moved by it, but while it depicts one tragedy, it also alludes to an even greater one. It would be reassuring to think such an event could never take place again without our intervention, but as we have learnt all too well in the intervening years, such a thought is naïve.
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