Shake Hands with the Devil Review
The film "Shake Hands with the Devil" is a powerful narrative, despite its flaws, in the realm of cinematic storytelling. Through the lens of Roméo Dallaire, played by Roy Dupuis, the film portrays the Rwandan genocide through Roger Spottiswoode's lens. However, upon closer inspection, the film's narrative approach and its use of various film techniques reveal a certain disconnect from the Rwandans themselves, who are the actual victims of the genocide.
From the very beginning of the movie, Roger Spottiswoode's use of flash-forward sequences caught my attention. It opens with a flash-forward sequence in which Dallaire is asked: "Do you want to continue living?". In doing so, the film immediately establishes the gravity of Dallaire's situation and the emotional toll it is taking on him. It is a powerful question, emphasizing the existential crisis that Dallaire is experiencing after witnessing atrocities, making the audience somewhat more aware of the seriousness of the crisis. However, the effectiveness of this technique is somewhat undermined by the film's focus on Dallaire to the exclusion of the Rwandan victims. While it highlights Dallaire's internal struggle, it also distances the audience from the actual victims of the genocide.
The film's top-down viewpoint is another noteworthy technique that made me more engaged in the movie. This perspective places the audience in the position of an observer, viewing the events from a distance. This approach effectively conveys the bureaucratic and political complexities of the situation, as seen through the eyes of Dallaire and the UN. However, this technique also contributes to the film's main flaw: the distancing of the audience from the Rwandan victims. As if we're looking at genocide through a telescope, we can see it, but not feel it. All the focus on the UN's failures and the political bungling during the genocide, the film minimizes its true horrors.
Furthermore, the film uses a brown-bleached colour scheme to match Dallaire's beige camouflage. However, the film's detached viewpoint is also reinforced by the choice of colour palette, which highlights the military and bureaucratic aspects of the narrative. The film has a lot to offer, and It's got a powerful message, but its focus on Dallaire and the UN dilutes that message.
All together, "Shake Hands with the Devil" is a film that utilizes various film techniques to convey a powerful narrative about the Rwandan genocide. Nevertheless, I believe the film's top-down viewpoint and focus on Dallaire and the UN undermines the effectiveness of these techniques. As a result, the audience is somewhat distanced from those who suffered the genocide, which makes the movie lose some effectiveness in conveying its real message. Despite these flaws, I still believe the film remains a potent critique of the failures of the international community in the face of such atrocities and is an important movie about the Rwandan genocide. The message, which continues to apply in today's global political landscape, is one of the devastating consequences of inaction and political bungling.
"Shake Hands with the Devil" is a film that's worth watching, but it's also a film that could have been so much more. It's a film that's got a lot to say, but it doesn't always know how to say it. It's a film that's got a lot of heart, but it doesn't always know how to show it. With that being said, I give Shake Hands with the Devil a 6.5/10