Sometimes In April
Synopsis: A Rwandan man haunted by the loss of his family during the 1994 genocide decides to pay a visit to his brother, who is being tried by the war crimes tribunal in Tanzania.
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Review
Ten years have passed since the Rwandan genocide and Augustin, who lost his wife and children back then, is still haunted by demons of the terrible past. He just received a letter from his brother Honoré from Tanzania inviting him to come and visit. Honoré is facing a trial by the Rwandan War Crimes tribunal, in the days of the genocide he was a radio journalist, and is accused of using his show to instigate the Hutu population to act against the Tutsi minority. Augustin has not been able to face his brother since they separated in 1994, because even though he does not know the exact details, he blames Honoré for the death of his Tutsi wife and sons, because it was him who was taking them to a safe hiding place where they never arrived.
The story alternates between present and past, and it also spends some time with the US government, who failed to understand (or deliberately ignored) the situation and did nothing to prevent the death of almost a million Rwandan citizens.
Sometimes in April is an HBO movie with excellent production values. British actor Idris Elba, does an excellent job playing Augustin, and the rest of the cast of British and African actors are also extraordinary. The scenes set in the US government offices are less interesting, they help to set the position of the world with regards to the Rwandan tragedy, but lack the level of intensity of the rest of the film and do not blend well with the story. Even though there is some intersection between this film, Hotel Rwanda and Beyond The Gates, each film provides a unique point of view that complements the others.
©2008 by Miguel Grinberg
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