The Rescuers

This documentary looks at genocide. It compares and contrasts stories of Holocaust survival with the massacres in Rwanda. Although graphic it is not gratuitous. The overall message is one of encouragement to us not to be bystanders and that even in awful situations there arise people who will do good. This is the positive thread that keeps the film inspirational.

Although slanted towards current diplomats there is a message here for all. This is a film that anyone who has a concern for what is right should watch. It refreshes beliefs in the injustice that was meted out to the Jews and Tutsi. It is also an excellent historical documentary, touching a subject in breadth that is sometimes restricted to the well known stories of particular refugees.

It is a little slow to start, and to me there was some awkwardness from the narrators/interviewers and some weak camera-work, which gives a slightly amateurish feel. However it soon becomes fully engaging. Any weaknesses are overcome by the supreme quality of research (much helped by Sir Martin Gilbert), writing (Anthony Valleta) direction (Martin King). The interviewees are authentic and well worth hearing.

The film runs through various examples of courage shown by diplomats in WW2 which led to the saving of hundreds of thousands of Jews. Alongside this is contrasted the situation in Rwanda in 1994. Interviews with families of Holocaust survivors and their rescuers are interspersed with archive WW2 footage and montages of WW2 and Rwandan stills. Sir Martin Gilbert and Stephanie Nyombayire provide narration, interaction and continuity throughout.

The message the audience carry away is that although the phrase "Never Again" became a mantra following the Holocaust, genocide still continues. Although not covered in this film, the film offers a line of support over the approach taken by NATO in Libya. And you may find it challenges you over other current situations where thousands are dying.

The Rescuers is a film which traces the journey of an anti-genocide activist called Stephanie Nyombayire who travelled to different countries to interview genocide survivors and descendants of diplomats.

From the start of the film, the director cleverly tells us the main character - Nyombayire, by showing her long journey to meet survivors and diplomats' families who bravely saved people from genocide.

The research done for this production is exceptional. Little details of each diplomat are unveiled scene by scene, showing the audience that they are the ones who should be honoured due to their bravery. Also, the interviews are genuine so you won't feel that they're just reading a prepared script.

The interviewer and interviewees get emotional in some parts of the film, especially during Nyombayire's scenes. Her sadness and disappointment towards losing members of her family in the Rwandan genocide in 1994 can be felt by the audience as she interviews the survivors who had similar experiences with her.

However, some parts of the film consist of interviews that are slightly tedious. Adding more clips of genocide and also the valiant effort made by diplomats instead can help the audience resonate with what they've heard from the interviews.

The film has a clear message: do what is right in every situation that we may find ourselves in. As shown in the film, diplomats risked their lives to rescue people they don't know, and yet often we are hiding somewhere else when someone needs help nowadays. It helps us reflect on what we should do to repel evil and promote goodness.

"Even in chaotic situations where people kill each other, there are always heroes who pursue justice" is a message that Michael King wants to tell us through the movie. People should watch this inspirational film to stand up against the dark.

The Rescuers is a sophisticated documentary. It reveals the true picture of what happened in the genocide in Rwanda and in the Holocaust during WWII. Instead of telling the cruel side of the history, it tells stories about how diplomats of different countries and different races saved large numbers of Jews; how they risk their lives to save people that they had never met before.

It has a remarkable depth. Sir Martin and Nyombayire interviewed survivors and descendants of the diplomats, making the documentary trustworthy and persuasive. Moreover, by knowing the motives behind their heroic sacrifice, we can consider what kind of person we want to be and what we can do to help people around us.

Unfairness and racial discrimination do not just exist in history, but also the present civilized world and society that we are living in. This movie hopes that the people with power, the present diplomats as well as each and everyone of us, can try using our power in a positive and contributive way, to save lives that suffer inequality and disparity, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.