52 Movies From 52 Countries - #18 Rwanda

This post is a part of an ongoing project in which I watch one movie from a different country every week. 

PLOT: Orphaned by the Rwandan Genocide, Ngabo (Jeff Rutagengwa), a member of the Tutsi tribe, sets off to kill his parents' murderer. He is accompanied by Sangwa (Eric Ndorunkundiye), who is Hutu. During their journey, they stay with Sangwa's family where tribal differences cause friction between the two friends.  

MEMORABLE MOMENT: The opening scene in which Ngabo steals a machete from a marketplace. As he holds the weapon we see there is blood on the blade. The camera pans to Ngabo's face and then back to the machete. We see that it is in fact clean, the blood is all in his mind. At this point we have been told nothing about Ngabo's backstory but we can guess what the young man intends to do with the weapon.

According to IMDB

• Munyurangabo was the first feature-length movie filmed in the Kinyarwanda language. 

WHO IS THIS MOVIE FOR? Munyurangabo is a movie for people looking for a quiet, intimate portrayal of the aftermath of one of the most brutal genocides of the second half of the twentieth century. It is as far away from Hollywood as one can get, not only in terms of budget and setting but also in its pacing. On the surface, Munyurangabo is a revenge story, a sub-genre that has always been popular in American films. However, the movie spends considerably more time on quiet, domestic scenes and friction between family members.

Had I come across Munyurangabo while flipping through the channels, I might momentarily mistake it for a documentary. The film maintains a grounded, slice-of-life quality, even as it portrays some of the characters’ worst moments.  

However, the film gives little history regarding the genocide itself. I’m assuming this is because it was filmed in a country where every member of the population is all too familiar with the events. If you aren’t familiar, though, you may want to watch a movie like Hotel Rwanda first to get some context.

(Then again, seeing as how the Rwandan Genocide has become known as one of the most overlooked travesties in recent history, I would suggest learning more about it anyway.) 

WHERE CAN YOU FIND IT?: The DVD is available through Netflix. It is also available to rent ($3.99) or buy ($9.99) on Amazon. I'm sure you could also borrow it from many public or university library systems. 


RUNTIME: 97 minutes

DIRECTOR: Lee Isaac Chung

WRITERS:
Samuel Gray Anderson
Lee Isaac Chung

STARING:
Jeff Rutagengwa
Eric Ndorunkundiye
Jean Marie Vianney Nkurikiyinka