Title: BEASTS OF NO NATION 

Starring: Idris Elba, Abraham Attah, Emmanuel Nii Adom Quaje, Kurt Egyiawan, Ama K. Abebrese, Fred Amugi

Synopsis:

A boy running for his life is captured and recruited into a group of mercenaries and converted into a child soldier.

Trailer Courtesy of NetFlix

Review:

Agu (Abraham Attah), a young boy, led a normal life with his family until a civil war shook his village. His mother escaped with his sister while he was left behind with his father and brother. Army troops penetrated the area and unfortunately, his father and brother were killed while he narrowly escaped bullets. 

Left on his own, Agu survived in the woods until an army of underage soldiers discovered him. With nowhere to turn, he was incorporated into their regime and endured a tough initiation.

The commandant (Idris Elba), an unbalanced and barbarous man, became Agu’s father figure and he trained him to become an armed soldier. Agu quickly moved up the ranks and was exposed to the bloodbath of war, drugs, and rape. 

Let’s Talk. This is a war movie that narrates the story of a boy’s life as a soldier. It is an adaptation of a book of the same name, written by Uzodinma Iweala. It’s a Hollywood movie shot in Ghana although the story doesn’t disclose what part of Africa the story takes place in. 

The movie walks us through Agu’s experience after the loss of his father and separation from his mother. It’s excessively brutal as it displayed killings that leave one gaping, children using drugs, and also, insinuated sexual abuse, which are all abnormal experiences in any boys’ life. 

The Commandant’s personal issues were also significant, and as powerful as he portrayed himself to be, he was just a pawn in the war and later demoted from his position. 

The movie itself was bold yet tear jerking as we watched a young boy in an adult world be trained to kill. His transformation from a happy, innocent boy into a child numbed by war while he still yearned for his mother, was emotionally taxing. 

The movie wasn’t as story oriented, as it was emotionally significant. It also lacked a sense of closure as certain things remained undetermined. The point is that a child should not take on the task of a soldier. Children should be protected from the common infractions of pornography, sexual abuse, and domestic violence, making war all the more contemptuous. 

Furthermore, a child’s environment influences his future. Had Agu been captured by a bunch of musicians he probably would have been playing an instrument by the end of the movie. But he ended up in a war zone and was left to suffer its psychological affects. “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.’ Proverbs 22:6 

As for direction and performances, they were indeed award worthy. Idris Elba was simply awesome and it’s hard to believe that this was a first performance for Abraham Attah. He’s naturally talented. 

Speaking of awards, there’s the issue of whether Beasts of No Nation qualified for Ghana Movie Awards. The concern is valid as big budget Hollywood movies can easily defeat lower budgeted, Ghana ones. But is it really about budgets?  

The flip side is that the BONN production employed tons of African actors and provided them the scarce opportunity to act in a Hollywood film. They should at least be recognized for that as collaborations are necessary and for the greater good of the industry. 

As it stands, this movie was not nominated at the Hollywood 2016 Academy Awards. It had a limited theatrical release in 2015 and is now available on Netflix. We all have a voice. Let’s support this movie. RECOMMEND