Movie Review

Directed by Michael Caton-Jones, starring: John Hurt (Fr. Christopher), Hugh Dancy (Joe), Dominique Horowitz (Lorraine), Susan Naiwoga (Marie) BBC Films, 115 minutes, 2006.

The most obvious comparison is to the award winning film Hotel Rwanda but this is a much grittier movie that more sharply poses the questions of faith in the face of overwhelming evil. One can understand why Romeo Dallaire, Canada's great hero of UN peace keeping, or 'peace observing', as the role turned out to be, had a psychotic break following his return to Ottawa.

The story concerns the Ecole Technique Officielle in Kigali, Rwanda where on April 11, 1994, 2500 Rwandan Tutsis were slaughtered. They had taken refuge on the school grounds because Belgian UN forces were there and they sought protection. Alas, there was none since UN forces could not fire unless fired upon and rebel gangs used machetes. The title of the film comes from an ironic moment when the Belgian commander tells the priest that they were going to shoot the dogs that were scavenging on the bodies of civilians and that those in the compound should not be alarmed. "Why? Have they been shooting?" asks Fr Christopher.

When French forces arrive there is much rejoicing but they have only come to evacuate Europeans. At first they only came to evacuate French but the Belgian commander made a fuss! The accusation of racism has dogged the West and the UN for its lack of action in Rwanda and that dimension is clear in the story. Fr. Christopher and the young teacher, Joe, face the dilemma of whether to go or stay. Christopher (christo-phoros Christ Light) stays and in the end, as a Christ Figure in the drama, gives up his life to free some of the captives.

Unlike in many movies, the church and theology are dealt with in a sympathetic and understanding way; sometimes humourously, as Joe tries to explain to a young African student how Jesus' body is in the bread. In a hopeless and dangerous situation Fr Christopher baptizes a newborn and celebrates mass. I guarantee that if you watch this you will never again take lightly the words "I mark you as Christ's own, forever". How easy it would have been to mock the absurdity of saying mass when danger and resistance were the order of the day! Yet, Fr. Christopher knew (and we know) that liturgy, the work of the people of God, is both a symbolic and an actual action to resist evil, to bring hope and to seek justice.

This is not an easy movie to watch. It is gritty and violent but it repays the effort. It is a Passion Story and the familiar characters of Peter, Judas, Magdalene and Pilate are all clearly present. Many of those on the production crew were either survivors of the massacre or lost loved ones at the school. The story honestly confronts the despair that the church felt when Hutus butchered Tutsis, members one of another in the Body of Christ.

Rwanda 1994 was a while ago now. Why keep going over it? It was not just a humanitarian and UN failure. It is also a deep, deep scar in the body of Christ. We have to remember ALL our history and let it be redeemed or we will certainly be condemned to repeat it.