Abril Sangrento

I saw this at the Berlin film festival and I think it shoulda won (it got a standing ovation). This film really isn't as pleasant and slick as Hotel Rwanda with its heroic Schilder's List kinda character, but it makes you aware of the whole picture. i actually think they compliment each other well, since this is the more realistic version. I didn't know much about the Rwandan genocide that happened just recently in 1994, where they almost killed a million people, and felt ashamed for the way the Western world, mainly the US and Europeans, looked away, which is the point of the movie. The complicated flashback structure can be a bit confusing, but the film really makes a strong point and shows the creepy way how things get out of hand very quickly. It's heartbreaking and hard to watch sometimes, but it's a powerful and most of all very realistic movie (I read they shot it in Rwanda on location, while Hotel was shot in South Africa).

If you really want to find out a bit more about the genocide in Rwanda of 1994, this is THE movie to go! It's a wonderful, yet uncompromisingly sad and bitter movie. Whereas "Hotel Rwanda" was more like Schindlers List in Africa, more focusing on a Hollywood-like hero & love story, "Sometimes in April" leads you right into the very depths of hell. The characters are well pointed out, the acting is always impressive and the film-making is very subtle and pleasantly calm. the only thing really which I could complain about to a certain degree was the sometimes a bit too prominently set musical soundtrack. Still - this movie is unforgettable; for one simply because of its honest attempt to tell the story of what happened in Rwanda, when the world literally turned its head - and on the other hand I feel the deepest respect for the team involved in making this for their seriousness and adequacy. A very daring and important movie!

"Sometimes in April" attempts to tell the story of the 1994 wholesale slaughter of about 800,000 mostly innocent people during the 100 day national ordeal when the top blew off the powder keg which Rwanda, Africa had become. This film of civil war and genocide focuses on one man, Augustin (Elba), a Rwandan soldier and his extended family as it jumps around in location and time using his story to connect the dots. Although this HBO docudrama makes a satisfactory dramatic watch, is asks more questions than it answers and leaves one wondering, among other things, how it is possible that so many helpless and innocent people could be savagely murdered by their own countrymen. The historical background and Rwandan zeitgeist are not sufficiently presented but the brutality of the horrific genocide perpetrated by the Hutus upon the Tutsis and Hutu moderates, stands out in bold relief. Snapshots of US State Department bureaucrat Prudence Bushnell's (Winger) frustration with her own government's slow reaction to the crisis and the seemingly inadequate UN war crimes tribunals only hint at the problems associated with intervention in civil strife and prosecution of war criminals. Overall, the film is a worthwhile entertaining and educational watch with language, violence, sex/rape thoughtfully maintained at a level which would probably yield about a PG-13 rating. (B)

What I'm about to say is as controversial as this film. Just like many times in the past the events of Rawanda shows the true nature of man-kinds ability to demean a group or sub-group to such a level that to take the life of a woman or child bares no moral consequence. What about the lives of hundreds of thousands women and children? By broadcasting racial propaganda against the Tutsis the Hutus were able to use the assassination of their President as a springboard for hate and genocide towards the Tutsis Rwanda citizens. Hate of another racial, religious or political group or sub-group is the most used method of control throughout human history. By classifying the term "Cock-Roaches" towards the Tutsis the Hutus were able to see them as less than human making murder more acceptable and without moral consequence.

This movie touched me deeply because it showed the true unforgiving brutality of man with very few moments of sincere sympathy towards the cause of the oppressed. Which is the reality of it all. The Beurocracy of the United Nations headed by the US is as much to blame for the Rwanda tragedy as the murdering Hutus which the film every so slightly portrays in its ending. It also shows its glaring hypocrisy in the face of the UN's most recent intrusions. But this film isn't about political finger pointing its about giving First World Society a vision of the Truth. The Atrocities of Rwanda I would hope more than anything put into perspective the world around us and how everything isn't just the peaches and cream that fills most of our daily lives. No matter what hardships we have been through NONE of them compare to what happened to the Tutsie in 94 or the Jews and Chinese in WWII.

The movie ends with a heart-felt message to "Never Forget". But we will. It is the only thing we can do. To accept the tragedy for what it is as something that truly goes on in this world and will inevitably happen again if Political Propaganda so determines it to be beneficial would mean the end of society's self delusional security. If we were a moral race of beings we would of already taken steps to make sure Rwanda would never happen again in ours nor our children's children's lifetimes. But we haven't. And we won't.

This is not an easy movie to watch, but I urge everyone to see it. I was a struggle not to cry; so I held my breath each time because I knew the minute I started crying, I would not be able to watch the entire movie.

The movie not only points out the evil people can inflict on each other, it also depicts how silence and avarice can lead to a horrific end.

When people discuss genocide, they go back to Hitler, Pol Pot, etc - this movie goes to show that we still do not care enough about our fellow humans to take care of them and protect them.

There are several ironies in this movie - one of which was the Olympic games. People worldwide were tuned into the Olympics and keeping tabs of the events at the same time others were being butchered.

In 100 days, almost a million people were murdered. It's unimaginable how a tragedy on this scale remains unknown - even scarier is this is proof that it can and possibly will happen again.