Went to the movies last night. Waiting in line for our tickets there was a group of teenagers behind us lining up to see the movie Hellphone. The tagline for the film: Sans abonnement. Sans forfait. Sans pitié. Almost enough to make you see it.
But we were there to see Le Dernier Roi d'Ecosse. As we settled into our seats, I was too happy to see the subtitles appear at the bottom of the screen. It has been ages since I saw something in V.O.
What a thrilling film. It was beautiful: the music, the acting, the setting. I loved Forest Whitaker. You fall under his spell. There were some violent parts, pretty graphic but served to show the violence of Amin's regime. The best estimate, from the International Commission of Jurists in Geneva, is that it was not less than 80,000 and more likely around 300,000 were killed during his 8-year reign as president. Another estimate, compiled by exile organisations with the help of Amnesty International, put the number killed at 500,000. The total population in Uganda at that time was around 12 million. Civil unrest, mass killings, tyranny. It sure makes my life feel very plush and comfortable.
1 comment:
I loved that movie too. SO powerful. And FW was wonderful. Very deserving of the Oscar, I thought.
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