Earth Made of Glass

Although it has been generally highly praised, I didn't much like the film 'Hotel Rwanda', which told a fictionalised story with touches of Hollywood melodrama and failed to give me any real insight into why the horrific genocide of 1994 actually happened. 'Earth Made of Glass' is a much better film; it's a documentary, not a drama, and although it could still do more to give us a picture of Rwandan society before the genocide, it does make the evil that occurred more comprehensible. Film of people today, refusing to admit their complicity or even their witness of events, strikes a chilling and depressing note, although we also see some evidence of a society slowly clawing its way back to normality. The allegations against the French government for its role are serious and demand a defence. That no-one is asked to do so in this film is a weakness; so is the reliance of Paul Kagame, Rwanda's current president, as our guide to events. Kagame is arguably the best post-independence leader the country has had; but is still a controversial and perhaps compromised figure, and while he comes across well, the absence of opposing interpretations does leave one wondering if one is really getting the entire truth. Unfortunately, dead bodies speak for themselves, and while this is an uncomfortable film, it's one that needs to be seen.