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An intelligent script digs below the superficial understanding that some of us (including me) have of the dreadful events in Rwanda, while creating strong characters to drive forward a human story. The actors are more than up to the task of making this balance work. I am gripped and eagerly await episode 3.

Hugo Blick is arguably the most ambitious writer of television drama in Britain today, and he certainly restates his case with 'Black Earth Rising', his latest work, which is by turns brilliant, intelligent and maddening. The series touches upon an immensely difficult subject - the Rwandan genocide - and amazingly manages to give mass murder a delicate, nuanced treatment without hiding from the horror. The acting and direction are also first rate. And yet, I found the central character deeply unappealing (though impressively portrayed by Michaela Coel), a person who demands the right to set the terms of debate with an inner sense of absolute moral certainty. Blick's script allows for the fact that she might be a difficult person to be around; but not that she might be wrong. And if part of Blick's skill is to distill huge issues into personal dramas, there are perhaps unintended side effects, most obviously that the fate of a country seems to be in the hands of a handful of people, all of whom know each other extremely closely, but this goes uncommented upon. In some ways, these two issues coincide - that the good guys have the right to represent their nation is presented almost as a given. Yet while I can nitpick, it's a story that will remain in my mind long after countless police procedurals have been forgotten. It's worth your time.

I have been writing reviews for this site for 17 years. Mostly films but also TV. Some great films, some very bad ones. Even the best ones had flaws - the acting was great but the direction was so-so etc. etc. But in Black Earth Rising, I think that I may at last have seen perfection - and I don't say that lightly. Where to start? I'll try to break it down then summarise.

Extrordinary complex but wonderfully constructed and written script. Acting to die for - from everyone. Certainly the best directed piece of film or TV I think I have ever seen. Blick's sense of timing is immaculate and his eye for detail stunning. Stunning visuals - the photography by Hubert Taczanowski is an example of perfection - the lighting, the perfect camera movement - just turn off the sound and watch each camera movement and each shot's lighting and composition. A masterclass - watch on a plasma or OLED not an LCD though. Perfect sound - every word, even every rustle of the actors clothes perfectly recorded with absolute clarity. The animated sections were a stroke of genius and so sensitively made. The music always a perfect choice - Lou Reed's Vanising Act especially.

There might be better made TV drama, but I have yet to see it.

I have come away from episode 5 absolutely mesmerized. Compelling, beautiful, powerful - stunning in every way.

I can't pretend to understand or ever really know the pain of the survivors of the Rwanda genocide but this drama has such strength in not only Michaela Coel's performance but in its script, its twists and turns, its depth and sensitivity to a painful and ultimately so desperately human tragedy that anyone who has the capacity to want to at least learn even at they watch how much the "great game" and its modern equivalents have repercussions beyond anything imaginable to most of us outside its direct impact.

Of course it's written from a Western lens and can never tell a "true" tale but it helps us, I think, to see how difficult, how complex and how deeply impactful the very things we take for granted today have had on millions of lives far away from ours, and even now, how a few powerful people keep trying to control everything, regardless of how lives are completely torn asunder to gain their wealth and power.

Don't let its pace or its great visual beauty put you off its underlying message. Everyone has secrets, everyone has pain and sickness and death will always walk amongst the living but sometimes the truth has to come out in order for us to move forwards. The reality of our world is one where some will always seek, through the vilest means, to sacrifice the lives of thousands for profit and power. Only though understanding that can we ever seek to encourage justice, change and hope.

I've never seen so many people vomit. Everybody vomits at one point or another in this show, for different reasons, constantly. Seriously, like, maybe 5 or 6 times. So, beware if you have hemetophobia.

A bit violent and slow, as only british shows can be, but interesting and intriguing. The main character does get on one's nerves, but the acting is good. And certain scenes (mostly the non-dialogue ones) drag on for far too long.

I can't remember seeing a more honest tv show about a contemporary African problem (rogue warlords) and the way white people in the west make a very good living taking 10 to 20 years 'bringing them to justice' and pulling political and economic strings to get those cushy jobs ...

The beautiful lead character plays a Rwandan that barely escaped the genocide. She is reared in the UK by a liberal white adoptive mother who is also a criminal prosecutor for the ICC in the Hague. Her daughter is totally against prosecuting the only 'hero' in the war and it is creating conflict in the family with discourse and dialogue on both sides of the genocide issue that I personally have never heard in public before. They leave no stone unturned in this show, also giving an overview of worthless UN peacekeepers and the French army, still in Rwanda.

What I like/LOVE about this show though, is they don't give you the answer.

They present all sides and let you sort thru it yourself and come to your own conclusion. I hope it's not snatched off the air. It's very political and I'm very surprised it even made it on screen for one episode. I look forward to seeing the rest of the series and I hope that the BBC doesn't capitulate to the puppetmasters that control the media and pull the plug on this early.

Fingers crossed!

Black Earth Rising is an interesting idea for a drama yet as is often the case with the mainstream media, the tale doesn't fit well with the truth. The sense that the US/UK and other Western powers are, fundamentally, a benevolent force, that has a parental role in Africa, belies the imperialist/colonial truth that lies at the heart of their involvement in this part of the world.

Now, as in the past, a lot of what takes place as far as the West is concerned in Africa is about money. This includes both buying and selling. Much of the political, economic and social instability and resulting conflicts we see in Africa, including atrocities, are exacerbated by Western interference and influence.

Knowing this, I could not warm to this drama. The back story itself was moderately interesting and the acting, I felt was fine. The UK does typically manage these kinds of drama's well in terms of choice of cast.

In short if a more frank approach had been taken I would have rated this series more highly. As it stands a 6/10 will have to suffice.

This series, frankly, left me changed in ways I don't fully understand yet - changed, I think, about human condition. John Goodman was as solid as John Goodman can get, but it is Michaela Coel's (Michaela Ewuraba Boakye-Collinson's) performance that is riveting! You are never shown the scenes of the genocide directly. They are creatively gentled in animation that tells the story without showing the story, and in aftermaths that drive home reality without a bloody middle. I was grateful for that. I love a good mystery and this has many!... And, I appreciate a deeper understanding of a history that seemed incomprehensible and far away at the time. Finally, I appreciated the complex view into the way in which White, Third World nations continue to profit from the mess we had a hand in both creating and in trying to repair. If you have a stomach for hope and despair, it doesn't get better than this.

So. Slow.

And why so much vomit?

Solid series. Great acting and plot. I really would have liked a better pace.

This series is quality drama. It tells the story of a Rwandan girl now grown up who was rescued following a genocide. The series tells the story of the girl's pursuit of justice. Outstanding performances from the girl played by Michaela Cowl, Harriet Walter as her mother and a wonderfully nuanced performance by John Goodman. The supporting cast are great too I've watched to episode 3 so far and I'm totally hooked. Looking forward to the rest!

I wanted to learn and feel new things about the Rwandan Genocide, and definitely did. But, despite some excellent acting and intelligent writing, I just couldn't follow all the dots in this detailed drama that wraps a human story that's too difficult to follow to do justice to the horror of what happened in 1994.

In the first episode, a wonderful and compelling argument is drawn along the lines of whether Africans should create their own solutions for their problems, or whether white Europe has a role. This theme was abandoned as quickly as the subplot of a Canadian officer who believes he's identified a genocide criminal in a local hospital. The rest of the series feels like it's trying to engage with a drama while it also explores the complexities of the events that led up to the genocide and their subsequent historical interpretation. Twists and turns proliferate, but I struggled to keep up.

Relative newcomer Micheala Coen is stellar as Kate Ashby, a struggling Rwandan who was adopted by an English prosecutor after her parents were killed by Hutus. John Goodman is a solid set piece, but does not sizzle like Coen.

And what's with ALL THE VOMITING. It's as if the writers insisted on one graphic vomiting scene of a varying color per episode. I'm not even joking.

This is a series which started very strongly and demanded attention, but gradually sank into pretension and little more than symbolism. The story is a good one and there are good performances by all of the leading characters, but it just seems to get slower and more dreary as it goes along. Far too many 'meaningful' long shots and far too much time spent on trying to create what passes for 'atmosphere'.

The Rwandan genocide was a terrible thing and it deserved better treatment than this rather weak effort. The one good thing to come out of the series has been the appearance of several largely unknown, at least to me, actors whom we can hope to see more of in the future.

Thank you Netflix for an extrodinary production! This series is so rich in every way that I found myself replaying parts to make sure I absorbed it all. If you are a thoughtful person please do yourself a favor and watch this. Allow the time not to rush trough it and be sure to catch every detail. Kudos to everyone involved in the making of this amazingly well produced series! I truly don't understand how anyone can give this a poor rating 🤔

If you watch this film you appreciate the acting that is emotional but realistic...I can relate to the characters on the day to day life situations such as family and also on the moral implications of "taking sides" in regards to the atrocities from the African continent.

If you're looking for a good story that is intelligently unfolding...this is for you.

Deals with the Congolese Wars. One survivor fights for justice against her mother's murderer. I'm on episode 6 of 8 and at least every episode someone vomits. If that bothers you don't watch. It's apparently a real stomach churner.

I really enjoyed the show but had to laugh at the doctor's line in the first episode about white people finding it hard to tell African's faces apart. I laughed because Micheala Coel, whilst a great actress, has a face that is just so obviously from West African heritage and not Tutsi. Having lived and worked with Rwandans of many backgrounds over the years and knowing that people were killed in the genocide just because of how they looked it is hard to put this on one side.

Remember the actual dictator of Rwanda since 2000? Who were those two women supposed to be?

This series is gripping. The story is intriguing and interesting, and the acting is spot.on. I don't understand how anyone can call it boring, because it is definitely anything but that. I'm not sure why anyone has issue with the musical score. I think it fits perfectly. Its a perfect juxtaposition.

Entertaining. Strong characters are sometimes uncharacteristically prone to victim mentality. Probably the worst musical score I've ever seen on an otherwise very good production, but perhaps that comes down to taste, although mine's eclectic as it gets. But certainly gets to the heart of a very disturbing chapter in history. Remorseful and empathic psychopaths seem to exist in the series, which is where it takes its only slight detour from realism. All in all - good.

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I just finished watching BLACK EARTH RISING, while recuperating from cough.

To me, the show felt like the perfect amalgamation of historical reality and fiction. The writing is intelligent, even brilliant! It's not a show you can watch while multi-tasking. There are nuances and layers to each character and plot and sub-plot.

It is, in essence, the story of a central character "Kate Ashby" who was rescued as a child from the Rwandan genocide by her adoptive mother, international lawyer Eve. The story begins with her mother taking the case to prosecute a Tutsi war hero, who helped stop the genocide but is later accused of other crimes, which Kate is opposed to. It is about Kate's work as a legal investigator and her journey to uncover her past and history.

The script unfolds to a background of the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda, while exploring each side's story, the interests of the west.. the way Belgium, Germany and France influenced the goings on in the region.. are all explored. The role of the UN peacekeepers and the French army are delved into.

The show really makes one think!

This is the kind of show I love watching. Don't know about others, but I'd recommend reading up a bit on the Rwanda genocide before starting this one.

Definitely recommended!

"What you (the international justice system predominantly governed by Westners) are doing exemplifies self-righteous Western paternalism! This is the same mindset that systematically devastated African nations dismantling their governments, religions, wealth and populations. And now with audacity hypocrisy, the justice system expects those nations to seek justice from it for crimes that wouldn't have occurred if western world hadn't intervened in the first place." - Paraphrasing a dialogue from the series.

Rwanda's dark history - which began during colonial times with European nations as major players. Under Belgian rule, the seeds of discord between Hutus and Tutsis were sown, as Belgian rulers favored the Tutsi minority, granting them power and privilege. Post-colonial Rwanda saw a reversal, with Hutus dominating the government and military. However, the 1994 assassination of President Juvénal Habyarimana (a Hutu) sparked the genocide, as Hutu extremists blamed Tutsis for the attack. In 100 days, over 800,000 Tutsis were killed, accounting for almost 75% of Rwanda's Tutsi population. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) convicted 93 individuals for genocide-related crimes.

The BBC drama Black Earth Rising explores the complexities of the Rwandan genocide, delving into the aftermath and quest for justice. The series masterfully weaves historical facts with fictional characters, shedding light on the tumultuous relationship between Hutus and Tutsis. It follows Kate Ashby, a Tutsi survivor, as she seeks justice, navigating international law and the challenges of prosecuting genocide suspects. While some artistic liberties are taken, the show remains true to the devastating impact of the Rwandan genocide. With its captivating performances and superb scriptwriting, the show masterfully keeps viewers on edge - only to resolve the complex narrative threads in a disappointingly neat and tidy conclusion. It took me few days to complete the series, nevertheless the series is binge-worthy. Watch Black Earth Rising, available on Netflix.

This show has about 3-7 different plots depending on how you interpret it which is a lot for one season. They also threw in an extremely dislikeable main character, who you hope you will grow to like but she maintains the whole way through. They could have spread this story over at least two seasons.

I avoid anything having to do with Rwanda because I remember when it happened - and saw too many photos and videos of what was happening. I didn't think I could handle it.

I love it when I am wrong. A friend highly recommended it, so I started to watch it just so I could tell her "I tried". OMG! It's incredible. First off, Michaela Coel is memorizing as a child (and adult) of Rwanda raised in England.

There is a lot, so you have to concentrate and keep up, but it is well worth it.

The cinematography is art house beautiful at times, as is the country of Rwanda. I am so glad I got to see that part of it - a quarter of a decade later.

This is not an easy piece to watch but it is a rewarding one.