KINYARWANDA IMPRESSIONISTICALLY RECREATES THE RWANDA GENOCIDE AND AFTERMATH
Impressionistic painters place dots on a canvas, allowing viewers to organize what they see into a coherent picture. Although perhaps not deliberately, that is what Kinyarwanda does in trying to depict the Rwanda genocide of 1994. Scenes are organized with subtitles, flashbacks, flashforwards, and other scenes during 1994. Some of the scenes take off where earlier frames leave off, but the entire experience may seem a puzzle with occasional glimmers of enlightenment. Directed by Alrick Brown, with dialog in English, French, and the Rwandan language (Kinyarwanda), the film confronts an ugly past in several ways: (1) reenactment of scenes of violence, (2) portrayal of Rwandans who huddle together, anticipating their death, (3) demonstrations of friendship between the various ethnic groups (Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa) and religious groups (Catholic and Muslim), and (4) confessions of those who did the killing in a reeducation camp during 2004. Based on true stories, the Political Film Society has nominated Kinyarwanda as best film exposé and best film on human rights and peace of 2011. MH