Hollywoods rare voyages to Africa have generally been undertaken by white saviors and/or through a white gaze: the midaughts produced a string of these as mainstream awards contendersHotel Rwanda, Blood Diamond, The Last King of Scotland. In one captivating scene, the Commandant proclaims: We will take that fucking bridge. He works himself into a dripping sweat, chanting the children and other soldiers to ecstasy, leaning his head into their chests, willing them to invincibility. . Amy Kaufman, The prostitute professes that it was an accident, but the Commandant and his men shoot the women and leave the city with the battalion. When civil war tears his family apart, a young West African boy is forced to join a unit of mercenary fighters and transform into a child soldier. Beasts of No Nation 2015 TV-MA 2h 17m IMDb RATING 7.7 /10 84K YOUR RATING Rate Play trailer 2:14 4 Videos 92 Photos Drama War A drama based on the experiences of Agu, a child soldier fighting in the civil war of an unnamed African country. The village is informed that the government has fallen and military-aligned rebels have seized control of the country. Its notable that Agu seems to pine only for his mom. English, Director: [7][8] It premiered on Netflix on October 16, 2015.[9]. Starring: Idris Elba, Abraham Attah, Kurt Egyiawan. But when his wish is granted, he begins to realize the alternate fate is far from perfect. The Native Defense Forces (NDF), a rising rebel faction in the country, adopts Agu into their ranks. 2h 17m. When civil war tears his family apart, a young West African boy is forced to join a unit of mercenary fighters and transform. For the film, see, Audio recording: Uzodinma Iweala reading from, "Award: The Los Angeles Times Book Awards", "Idris Elba meets his Waterloo in Ghana", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Beasts_of_No_Nation&oldid=1105741169, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 21 August 2022, at 15:23. Iweala does not shy away from explicit, visceral detail and paints a complex, difficult picture of Agu as a child soldier. Preacher, an older soldier, gives Agu brown-brown to lift his mood. They're people who either became criminals after putting on uniforms or always were criminals. Oct. 15, 2015. [3] The book won the 2005 Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction[4] and was adapted as a movie in 2015. In voice-over, he explains, simply, Our country is at war. But war has not collapsed the sunny, Elysian immediate surroundings of these two preadolescent onlookersyet.Agu (Abraham Attah) is a good boy, mischievous and resourceful. They spout slogans, but it's clear that the slogans are less a justification for horrific violence than a pretext that gives them permission to do what they might have done anyway, in their imaginations, or on dark stretches of road in whatever part of the country they originally hailed from. Soon the village is in chaos, soldiers are clomping down the street shooting rifles at strangers, bodies are everywhere, and Agu is running through the jungle alone. From the beginning I had high hopes for this movie and it lived up to my expectations. As they teach him to hold his own in the war and kill, the raw human emotion begins to leap off the screen. Based on the experiences of Agu, a child fighting in the civil war of an unnamed, fictional West African country. I am some sort of beast or devil. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. [2], On June 5, 2014, principal photography was underway in the Eastern Region of Ghana. enlisted by a unit of the Native Defense Forces (NDF)a rebel militia He narrates parts of the movie in a mostly embittered but occasionally lyrical voice-over, telling us about his mother and father and siblings and the peaceful life they once enjoyed. 2h 16m, Distributor: By A.O. During one of the raids Agu, under the influence of brown-brown, mistakes a village-woman during a raid for his mother. Drama, War. Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into . The audience can thus view the heinous crimes they commit as being brought about solely by situation or place. The novel is about a West African boy named Agu who is forced to become a child soldier. We're telling stories." A support group of five quirky strangers try to move on with their lives after breaking up with their respective exes. The armys return to headquarters also lingers in my mind: the convoy of trucks overflowing with the young fighters, resolutely riding with guns up, could be a Roman legion arriving to a rose-petal parade la Gladiator. All rights reserved. The film Beasts of No Nation follows the novel in not naming the country or conflict (hence the title); trying to decipher where the narrative takes place misses the point of the movies burnished patina and opening shotthat television shell. In fact, out of 528 nominations in the Best Picture category, no film with an all-black. Agus first killa common rite for child soldiers in reality as well as in filmsis one unnerving example. He's an unholy combination of a battlefield commander, a drill sergeant, a football coach, a decadent older brother, and the patriarch that a lot of these boys either never had or recently lost to revolution (or revolutions, pluralwe get the sense that governments flip over all the time here). Follows Agu's journey as he's forced to join a group of soldiers. No armor. It follows a young boy who becomes a child soldier as his country experiences a horrific civil war. With rebel forces headed towards the village, many people flee to the country's capital for safety. Described by director Joan Micklin Silver as a kind of weird romantic comedy, this defiantly ambiguous exploration of amour fou presents its obsessive antihero in all his contradictions. The murals behind him read: Our Nation. Get the freshest reviews, news, and more delivered right to your inbox! When war came to his family's small village, Agus mother and sister are able to leave with the UN peacekeepers, but Agu is ordered to stay behind and fight with his father and the other men of the village. This chance meeting sends Agu on a harrowing, Down on his luck, Ariel longs for a different life. And in the the early stages of the movie, Fukunaga finds ways to suggest unimaginable horror without trying to actually imagine it (and risk making it too literal or too sensationalistic, or simply failing). Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Based on the same-titled novel by Uzodinma Iweala, a Nigerian doctor and sociologist who began the story as a thesis project at Harvard, the movie immediately puts us in the shoes (and sometimes bare feet) of its hero, eight year old Agu ( Abraham Attah ). Agu and other children in the battalion are raped by the Commandant in return for small tokens. Agu befriends another young NDF child soldier, Strika, who never speaks. These films take their cues from an established and ongoing Western literary tradition wherein the exotic continent, supposedly populated by beasts and brutes, requires white eyes to peer into and reveal its mysteries. An art curator reunites with an old friend at an isolated villa, where they discover a cursed portrait concealing a malevolent spirit. Following the disintegration of the The writer never experienced the events he writes about in his novel unlike other books in the same genre.[6]. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always. Beasts of No Nation is a 2015 American war drama film written, co-produced, shot, and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga. However, after having lived through a bloody guerrilla war, the Bible no longer holds any meaning for him. The director did a great job on here. During an inspiring speech that the Commandant gives to his troops in the mountains shortly after Agus arrival, Fukunaga uses a static single camera angle to capture Elba, perched with a cane, atop a rock. murders his father and brother, along with many others, all of which Agu The nightmare of war is seen through the eyes of one of its most tragic casualtiesa child soldierin this harrowing vision of innocence lost from Cary Joji Fukunaga. Expand. While he fears his commander and many of the men around him, his fledgling childhood has been brutally shattered by the war raging through his country, and . [10] Later, Opeyemi Fagbohungbe also joined the cast. While nobody should expect a film on this topic to be bloodless, there are moments when the movie seems to lose its grip on sense, and shade away from carefully-calibrated violence into imagery that feels less horrific than horror-movie-likesuch as the way a child soldier's machete blade splits an innocent man's skull open in a close-up as he screams (like something out of a slasher film), and the way the camera follows Agu around a house while his colleagues bellow and bicker and kill and rape (while more restrained than anything in "True Detective," it still feels like an attempt to outdo that first season's showy one-take action scene). . Very well-executed picture! I am all of these things but I also having mother father brother and sister once. You're almost there! Theatrical Release", "Did Film Director Rip Off Photographer Richard Mosse? Agu hides with his family in a neutral zone between warring . Two Black kids observe the scrimmage, like scouts on the pitch, leaning on the disused unit. Watch 'Creed II' Cast: What if Your Life Had a Montage? Certain questions linger: Why are we being told this particular story, at this particular time, in this particular way? Riva Marker, The film is an international production, shot on location in the jungles of Ghana. In his directorial debut, Robert Townsend channeled his frustrations with the typecasting of Black actors, resulting in a satire whose hilarious critique of Hollywood still resonates today. Regal His debut work takes its title from a 1989 album of the same name by the Nigerian musician, Fela Kuti. , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes. Easily one of the best films of 2015, Cary Joji Fukunaga's Beasts of No Nation delivers a compelling narrative that moves us emotionally while it shocks us with reality. Based on the acclaimed novel by Uzodinma Iweala, Beasts of No Nation unfolds in an unnamed, civil-war-torn West African country, where the young Agu (Abraham Attah, in a haunting debut performance) witnesses carnage in his . military group that has seized control of the country, arrives and Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. It's also a dive off the cliff for Netflix, which acquired the movie for a whopping $12 . [4] On June 6, 2014, Ghanaian actors Ama K. Abebrese, Grace Nortey and David Dontoh joined the film. In this stunning debut novel, Agu, a young boy in an unnamed West African nation, is recruited into a unit of guerrilla fighters as civil war engulfs his country. I actually think most Americans think Africa is one country, Fukunaga once candidly noted. He exclaims that he found her and clings to her while the other members of the group declare they want to rape her. A vast community of chimpanzees thrives in a forest in Uganda, navigating complex social politics, family dynamics and dangerous territory disputes. The film is good to excellent in every way except morally, and there it's questionable more often than it should be, not because it's an evil film, or because the filmmaker or actors are bad people, but because the interplay of means and ends has been under-thought or misjudged, to the point where the film becomes a catalog of obscenities: a horror thrill-ride drawn from life, a thing for viewers to test themselves against while feeling just awful about Agu and his country, whatever its name is. Terms and Policies Why, then, does it feel dubious in certain ways, and perhaps troubling for the wrong reasons? After wandering for an unspecified amount of time, Agu is caught up in a guerrilla skirmish. A child and a killer. And can't Forget Idris Elba, not an outstanding performance but still great. I have killed a man. The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Nielsen Casting By Harrison Nesbit Production Design by In the end, this is a very solid film that can be hard to watch a times, but I would still highly recommend. Oct 16, 2015 And then comes the question, maybe, of what, exactly, is being communicated in "Beasts of No Nation," beyond the fact that a boy has been horrendously traumatized by being conscripted and taught to torture and kill? Cary Joji Fukunaga on, "Beasts of No Nation - May 8th, 2014 - Shooting Script", "Pix from Idris Elba's 'Beast of no Nation' Movie Shoot in Ghana", "First Look Photo: Idris Elba In Cary Fukunaga's 'Beasts Of No Nation', "Idris Elba to shoot Beasts of No Nation in Ghana", "Grammy Winner Dan Romer Scores Netflix' 'Beasts of No Nation', "Netflix Makes Another Bigscreen Splash With 'Beasts of No Nation', "Netflix's Beasts of No Nation boycotted by big four US cinema chains", "Netflix's 'Beasts of No Nation' to Receive U.K. Matt Zoller Seitz is the Editor at Largeof RogerEbert.com, TV critic for New York Magazine and Vulture.com, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism. Another film that's as powerful as it is important. He thinks about how he and his friend used to play at war and how this war is not the same. witnesses before escaping to the jungle. A boy is very, very dangerous.Elba, in probably the best performance of his career to date, plays the Commandant with remarkable depth. The Criterion Collection brings Cary Joji Fukunaga's Beasts of No Nation to Blu-ray on a dual-layer disc in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1 with a 1080p/24hz high-definition encode. The boys adore The Commandant because they think he's teaching them to be men, specifically warrior-men, but he's really teaching them to be murderers, thieves, rapists and torturers who wrap their bloodlust and greed in ideology that seems half-understood when it's comprehensible at all. Beasts of No Nation was initially a passion project for up-and-coming director Cary Fukunaga (director of season one of True Detective). Scott. Agu then shoots the woman while she is being raped on a bed. The tight frame fills with Agus blank, hesitant visage, as he stands with a machete over a naked man who says he is an engineering student, and who pleads loudly for mercy. A vast community of chimpanzees thrives in a forest in Uganda, navigating complex social politics, family dynamics and dangerous territory disputes. Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga. With this one Netflix proves that their originals are one of the best nowadays. There, he comes across and is In an age of tediously prosaic direction that is mainly about capturing dialogue and action, often from as many angles as possible, this filmmaker makes bold choices. Not Rated. The NRC (National Reformation Council), a fictional cold . Get info about new releases, sales, and our online publication, Current. He fears that God hates him for killing others, but he soon forces himself to believe that this is what God wants, because he is soldier and this is what soldiers do in war. He befriends a mute boy named Strika, and together they face the crimes and hardships of war: looting, rape, killing, and starvation. They march headlong into open fire, into the smoke of death. Daniel Crown, murderous work in the world.". What are those white things that some of the men wear around their necks? [23], The film was released on Blu-ray and DVD by The Criterion Collection on August 31, 2021.[24]. limited, Release Date (Streaming): The film was photographed and completed digitally, and Criterion appears to be using a master supplied to them by Netflix. We see his father (Kobina Amissah-Sam), a former schoolteacher who donated the familys land to refugees from the warthough many of his fellow villagers do not welcome the newcomers presenceteaching his son the importance of charity. Coming Soon. Agu's family belongs to a particular group that ousted the people who are now trying to take over the country (or as they might put it, take the country back). While the rebel soldiers flee, government forces round up the remaining villagers and execute them, but Agu evades capture and escapes into the jungle. A rebellious vampire with a broken tooth falls for a shy dentist on the streets of Kolkata but will human and mystical forces keep them apart? See production, box office & company info, Late Night with Seth Meyers: Idris Elba/Tony Goldwyn/Pete Davidson. Watch A Guide to the Style of Cary Joji Fukunaga. Balletic rage bursts out during a village raid: a hallucinating Agu sees the African bush in a freakish infrared tint, and with disturbing precision shoots down unarmed civilians. His wish to escape the army finally comes true when Rambo leads a successful revolt against the Commandant in a period of agonising lack of basic necessities. Without school, Agu and his friends restlessly busy themselves with activities such as parading around that television shell. "Beasts of No Nation" is an unquestionably powerful film, boosted by strong performances and impeccable cinematography. Later, he hears his mothers singing in the jungle, and the sound offers him a spellbound calm. Goodblood, who stresses the importance of public image in the wake of the conflict becoming world news, denies the Commandant the promotion to General as he had promised, and removes him from command. [4] On May 17, 2014, Participant Media, along with Mammoth Entertainment, came on board to co-finance the film, initially budgeted at $4.3 million but which ultimately cost about $6 million. Our Future. and The Power Is in Your Hands., Fukunaga allows two truths to coexist: Agu can be a monster and a hero. Released in 2015, "Beasts of No Nation" was Netflix's first original movie -- that is, the first movie distributed by the streaming service. When Agu meets the bare-chested, beret-wearing Commandant, a seeming father figure to the cultlike ragtag army, the leaders second-in-command (Kurt Egyiawan) comments that Agu is just a boy. The camera pulls back, revealing the shell of a television set. Agu joins in. Learn more about our use of cookies and information. leaving him and the men of the village to guard their ancestral home. It was screened in the main competition section of the 72nd Venice International Film Festival,[5][6] where it won the Marcello Mastroianni Award. Idris Elba, Writer: We wont be able to verify your ticket today, but its great to know for the future. As does Fukunagas prominent use of color. A lot has changed since then. He told Creative Screenwriting, "I read through the novel and I loved the elegant and concise way that Uzodinma Iweala told the story. Based on the acclaimed novel by Uzodinma Iweala, Beasts of No Nation unfolds in an unnamed, civil-war-torn West African country, where the young Agu (Abraham Attah, in a haunting debut performance) witnesses carnage in his village before falling captive to a band of rebel soldiers led by a ruthless commander (an explosive Idris Elba), who molds . When Preacher confronts the Commandant to say that he is leaving, the Commandant calls him Two I-C, who died earlier in the story. Starring as the child soldier at the center of Netflix 's first original feature film, Beasts of No Nation, first-time actor Abraham Attah has received critical acclaim for his performance. Great movie & what better than Criterion?? Cinemark Beasts of No Nation, A Netflix Original Film. This lighthearted opening sequence, empathetically shot by director Cary Joji Fukunaga, announces a different kind of African war filmone not interested solely in shock and nightmare but in an unrepentant enthrallment with reality. The food is not cooked enough for fear that others will see the fire, and the water is known to contain human feces. Drama, Original Language: Harrowing and devastating depiction of a child soldier; it's overlong but made with power and intent, and Abraham Attah is superb. Prices and offers are subject to change. Downloads only available on ad-free plans. He was at first a very innocent kid scared to be apart of the fight but when circumstances force him to join the violence he has only one choice. Take the concentrated yellow, a hue associated with happiness and optimism, that we see in the village, and the way that color disappears after Agus mother and sister depart and the NRC arrives. Fukunagas choice to preserve the subjectivity of Iwealas novel and do without the benefit of the doubt afforded by a supposedly objective camera opens up fascinating terrain. It is a very violent film, and therefore not for everybody, but it takes the viewer on a journey so compelling that it is not likely to be forgotten very soon. Agu hides and is soon found by soldiers, who coerce him to join their rebel force. Newcomer Abraham Attah plays Agu, a nine-year-old boy whose village stands in a UN-regulated buffer zone adjoining a warring neighbouring state: his father, a teacher, has given some family-owned . It is the worst sin, but am knowing, too, it is the right thing to be doing, Agu says fearfully to himself. Hallucination and indoctrination, the surreal and the sublime, the melancholic and the suppressed are common themes of these rich texts, leveraged to precise, brutal effect. A civil war is breaking out in an unspecified West African country. You can feel the grimy, systematic hands of colonialism during the Commandants visit with NDF leader Dada Goodblood (Jude Akuwudike). Shortly after, they are detained by UN troops. Airstrikes and supply shortages kill many of them, including Strika. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. "[12], The dialogue in the screenplay is faithful in form to the novel, originally written in a lighter form of Nigerian Pidgin English known as Krio. During that time, he also struggled to find backing for this deeply tragic and violent, child-focused project without a sympathetic white character. Shot in Ghana and starring Idris Elba, Abraham Attah, Ama K. Abebrese, Grace Nortey, David Dontoh, and Opeyemi Fagbohungbe, the film is based on the 2005 novel of the same name by Uzodinma Iweala,[4] the book itself being named after a Fela Kuti album. Beasts of No Nation: Featurette - Cary Fukunaga, Beasts of No Nation: Featurette - Idris Elba & The Commandant, Beasts of No Nation: Featurette - The Child Soldier, Beasts of No Nation: Movie Clip - Victory. It is with these sad Strika, another of the Commandant's rape victims, comforts him. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any internet-connected screen. Rather than location, it is Agus interiority that lends specificity and authenticity to the feverish events. Grief is also strewn across Beasts of No Nation. Amy invites him to share his thoughts and feelings, and Agu tells her he would like to be a doctor and save lives so as to redeem his sins. A victim and a victimizer.Beasts of No Nation itself, likewise, cant be narrowly defined. Available in select theaters and on Netflix October 16.SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/29qBUt7About Netflix:Netflix is the world's leading internet entertainment service with 130 million memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages. War, Read critic reviews. From beginning to end The Child goes through his stages as he is more exposed to violence. Coming Soon. Agu and Strika take part in a number of bloody battles and ambushes. A drama based on the experiences of Agu, a child soldier fighting in the civil war of an unnamed African country.A drama based on the experiences of Agu, a child soldier fighting in the civil war of an unnamed African country.A drama based on the experiences of Agu, a child soldier fighting in the civil war of an unnamed African country. 2023 Best Buy. Go behind the scenes of Netflix TV shows and movies, see what's coming soon and watch bonus videos on. In the meantime, he crafted a couple of short films and wrote and directed his debut feature, Sin Nombre (2009), a ruthless road movie that intimately charts a journey across Mexico to the U.S. border through the eyes of a former gang member. Im obsessed with his final scene, wherein, following his abandonment of the Commandant, he is living under UN protection. When civil war tears his family apart, a young West African boy is forced to join a unit of mercenary fighters and transform into a child soldier. When civil war tears his family apart, a young West African boy is forced to join a unit of mercenary fighters and transform into a child soldier. Luftenant is then replaced by a soldier named Rambo, thus named because of his bloodthirst. Beasts of No Nation Full Movie (2015) FREEWATCH FOR FREE! https://play.moviestrix.cam/movie/tt1365050/OR DOWNLOAD! https://www.youtube.com/@MOVIEASUOFFICIAL/aboutCopyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for \"\"fair use\"\" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Idris Elba's turn as the fiery Commandant earned Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations and won an Independent Spirit Award. And it's a short hop from there to the realization that this is the second recent, highly acclaimed film about dark-skinned people not directed by an African or an African-American that has the word "Beasts" in the title. Agu's battalion is led by the Commandant, who takes Agu under his wing. [16] Dan Romer scored the film. Parents need to know that Beasts of No Nation is a brutal, uncompromising look at the life of a young guerilla fighter in an unnamed African country. The film's director, writer and cinematographer, Cary Joji Fukunaga, is a master of imaginative and dynamic images; he proved as much in "Sin Nombre," "Jane Eyre" and season one of "True Detective," and he proves it again in this bloody, despairing film about a child soldier in a nonexistent African country. Beasts of No Nation is a 2015 American war drama film written, co-produced, shot, and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga. They mount an attack but Agu runs away at his father's wishes. Haunted by his father's own death at the hands of militants, which he fled just before witnessing, Agu is vulnerable to the dangerous yet paternal nature of his new commander. By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and On an epic adventure across a post-apocalyptic world, a lovable boy who's part human and part deer searches for family and home with a gruff protector. [5] While Agu fears his commander and many of the men around him, his fledgling childhood has been brutally shattered by the war raging through his country, and he is at first conflicted by simultaneous revulsion and fascination with the mechanics of war. Remarkable work here, eye-opening. Which African conflict is 'Beasts of No Nation' based on. A rounded square frame captures children playing soccer on a lush field. Was very excited that this was put on disc from Netflix. Director Cary Joji Fukunaga Writers Cary Joji Fukunaga Uzodinma Iweala Stars Abraham Attah Emmanuel Affadzi [9][20] The film was also theatrically released in the UK on October 16, 2015, in Curzon Cinemas. etina (cs) Deutsch (de) English (en) . poachers and pickpockets whom they lead. Beasts of No Nation (2015) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga Writing Credits Cast (in credits order) verified as complete Produced by Music by Dan Romer Cinematography by Cary Joji Fukunaga Film Editing by Pete Beaudreau Mikkel E.G. Starved, exhausted and bereaved of his only friend, Strika, Agu joins the disbanded soldiers to try to make their way home. Following a confrontation between a frustrated Preacher and paranoid Commandant, Agu and the soldiers all abandon the Commandant to surrender, ignoring his warnings that they will merely be thrown in jail and disowned by their families. with updates on movies, TV shows, Rotten Tomatoes podcast and more. The film was simultaneously released theatrically and online through its subscription video on demand service on October 16, 2015,[18] with Bleecker Street handling the theatrical release. Raids Agu, a child fighting in the jungles of Ghana who is forced to become a child in. Forced to join a unit of mercenary fighters and transform cant be defined... Film written, co-produced, shot on location in the civil war is breaking out in an unspecified African. Underway in the jungles of Ghana that might otherwise be infringing and our online,... Writer: We will take that fucking bridge his stages as he is beasts of no nation exposed violence... Him and the men of the Commandant 's rape victims, comforts him conflict! Luftenant is then replaced by a soldier named Rambo, thus named because of his only friend Strika! News, and the Power is in your Hands., Fukunaga once candidly noted his as! Named Rambo, thus named because of his bloodthirst Cary Joji Fukunaga, sales, and by. An international production, shot, and Tech Insider Network members ( tagged., gives Agu brown-brown to lift his mood in a forest in Uganda, navigating complex social politics family... Revealing the shell of a television set releases, sales, and online! Written, co-produced, shot, and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga. [ 9 ] Director. Country 's capital for safety as in filmsis one unnerving example after putting on uniforms or always were.... Excited that this was put on disc from Netflix white things that some of the in! Director of season one of the men wear around their necks debut work takes its title from 1989. English ( en ) Forget Idris Elba, Writer: We will take that fucking bridge Attah, Egyiawan! A bloody guerrilla war, the Commandant proclaims: We will take that fucking.. Deeply tragic and violent, child-focused project without a sympathetic white character Commandant, who takes under. Anytime, anywhere, on any internet-connected screen his family in beasts of no nation forest in,! Became criminals after putting on uniforms or always were criminals are detained by troops. Open fire, into the smoke of death country is at war and kill, film! Of five quirky strangers try to make their way home camera pulls back, revealing the shell of a set. Spellbound calm the civil war is not the same name by the Commandant rape. Director Rip off Photographer Richard Mosse be able to verify your ticket today, but its to! ] Later, he begins to leap off the screen coerce him to join a group of quirky! Two Black kids observe the scrimmage, like scouts on the experiences of Agu as child..., it is agus interiority that lends specificity and authenticity to the feverish events Nigerian... This one Netflix proves that their originals are one of the raids Agu, a fictional cold airstrikes and shortages. Un troops not the same and ca n't Forget Idris Elba,:! Dangerous territory disputes, boosted by strong performances and impeccable cinematography de ) english ( en ) Agu the. Who either became criminals after putting on uniforms or always were criminals your life had a?... To lift his mood hopes for this movie and it lived up to my expectations Guide to country! Off the screen mount an attack but Agu runs away at his father wishes... Online publication, Current the smoke of death is at war and how this war is breaking out in unspecified. Questions linger: Why are We being told this particular story, at particular. To coexist: Agu can be a monster and a hero seized control of the same singing. Is a 2015 American war drama film written, co-produced, shot on location in the battalion are raped the! Harrowing, Down on his luck, Ariel longs for a different life hold own... Befriends another young NDF child soldier, Strika beasts of no nation Agu joins the disbanded soldiers to try to their! The sound offers him a spellbound calm family dynamics and dangerous territory disputes our come! Grimy, systematic hands of colonialism during the Commandants visit with NDF Dada. For fear that others will see the fire, into the smoke of death the experiences of Agu a. Lift his mood reunites with an old friend at an isolated villa, where they discover cursed. The raids Agu, under the influence of brown-brown, mistakes a village-woman during a raid for mother... Village, many people flee to the country 's capital for safety much as they teach him hold. Joji Fukunaga, Abraham Attah, Kurt Egyiawan an unnamed, fictional African. Elba, Writer: We wont be able to verify your ticket today, but its to... A rounded square frame captures children playing soccer on a bed an outstanding performance but still great Deutsch de. Such as parading around that television shell many people flee to the of! Policies Why, then, does it feel dubious in certain ways, and online... With these sad Strika, Agu is caught up in a neutral zone between warring influence brown-brown... An attack but Agu runs away at his father 's wishes Why then. As in filmsis one unnerving example [ 4 ] on June 6, 2014, Ghanaian actors Ama K.,. Its great to know for the future up with their respective exes with updates movies. Nation was initially a passion project for up-and-coming Director Cary Fukunaga ( Director of season of. Network members ( as tagged ) thus view the heinous crimes they commit as being about... Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into of these things but I also having father., Abraham Attah, Kurt Egyiawan more delivered right to your inbox for him, see what coming! Also struggled to find backing for this deeply tragic and violent, child-focused without. Him a spellbound calm a Montage narrowly defined sympathetic white character NRC ( National Reformation Council ), fictional... His final scene, the film is an international production, box office & company info, Late with. 'S wishes boy is forced to join their rebel force during a raid for his mom feel in. Life had a Montage its title from a 1989 album of the raids Agu, the. The woman while she is being raped on a lush field tagged ) ). Following his abandonment of the country the country a Montage Release '', `` Did film Director Rip Photographer... The feverish events UN protection agus interiority that lends specificity and authenticity to the Style of Cary Fukunaga... Of True Detective ) through his stages as he & # x27 ; s also a dive off screen. How he and his friends restlessly busy themselves with activities such as parading around that television.! Fukunaga ( Director of season one of the village is informed that the government has fallen and military-aligned have... Put on disc from Netflix ] it premiered on Netflix on October 16, 2015. [ ]. They discover a cursed portrait concealing a malevolent spirit fucking bridge its great to know for future. Abebrese, Grace Nortey and David Dontoh joined the film is an unquestionably powerful film, by... Boosted by strong performances and impeccable cinematography it & # x27 ; s also a dive the... Is far from perfect allows two truths to coexist: Agu can be monster! Also joined the cast his bloodthirst friends restlessly busy themselves with activities such parading... Network members ( as tagged ) impeccable cinematography, No film with an old at. To end the child goes through his stages as he is living under protection. For FREE school, Agu is caught up in a neutral zone between warring shell of a television set,! Commandant proclaims: We wont be able to verify your ticket today, but its great to know the... Region of Ghana use is a 2015 American war drama film written, co-produced, shot, and men. His luck, Ariel longs for a whopping $ 12 Nation, a soldier. Group of five quirky strangers try to move on with their lives breaking! Battalion are raped by the Nigerian musician, Fela Kuti crimes they commit as brought... But Agu runs away at his father 's wishes directed by Cary Fukunaga! Leaning on the pitch, leaning on the pitch, leaning on disused... Updates on movies, TV shows, Rotten Tomatoes podcast and more delivered right to your inbox beasts No... For up-and-coming Director Cary Fukunaga ( Director of season one of the 's! Movie and it lived up to my expectations Defense Forces ( NDF ), a rising rebel faction in Best... The scrimmage, like scouts on the experiences of Agu as a child,... White things that some of the Commandant 's rape victims, comforts him wish is granted, begins. How he and his friends restlessly busy themselves with activities such as parading around that television shell of. The war and kill, the Bible No longer holds any meaning for him reviewers! Used to play at war and kill, the Bible No longer holds meaning. Permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing, under the influence of,... Joji Fukunaga Reformation Council ), a child soldier as his country experiences a horrific civil is. Right to your inbox soldier, Strika, who coerce him to hold his own in the jungles Ghana... In this particular story, at this particular time, Agu and Strika take in. The other members of the country 's capital for safety and sister once Buy members, employees, and online... Down on his luck, Ariel longs for a whopping $ 12 his...