#shakehandswiththedevil

[its-suanneschafer-author]

ICYMI BOOK REVIEW: #WaitingForFirstLight by #RomeoDallaire. A heartbreaking, gut wrenching memoir by the UN commander during the Rwandan Genocide. Well worth reading now with what is going on in the world. https://suanneschaferauthor.com/book-review-waiting-for-first-light/

[its-suanneschafer-author]

BOOK REVIEW: #WaitingForFirstLight by #RomeoDallaire. A heartbreaking, gut wrenching memoir by the UN commander during the Rwandan Genocide. Well worth reading now with what is going on in the world.

[mishelsmoviemarathon]

Shake Hands With the Devil Film Review

*this review will contain spoilers*

The film Shake Hands With the Devil directed by Roger Spottiswoode was released in 2007 and follows Lutenin General Roméo Dellaire on his UN peacekeeping mission in Rwanda during the 1945 genocide. This movie was based on Dellaire’s autobiographical book and did a great job of portraying how deadly and ruthless the genocide really was. Throughout the entirety of the movie we follow Roméo Dallaire, who is very empathetic and wants the best for the people of Rwanda and his fellow UN soldiers. We see this throughout the plot of the movie as he always makes sure to go out of his way and go about handling the deaths of innocent Rwandan people respectfully. With the help of his soldiers he removed bodies from the roads so that no one would drive over them, he made sure to cover bodies of children or exposed women as best as he could along the way. He also refused to leave Rwanda and his soldiers behind even after direct orders from New York because he knows Rwandans need the UN’s help and are defenseless against the aggressive Hutu Militia army. 

An interesting aspect of Shake Hands with the Devil is the jump cut scene that looks into Dallaire’s future where he’s receiving professional help from a therapist. This shows us how real and truely horrid the Rwandan genocide was for the people involved. We see that it is not a happy ending like other movies about the genocide that often end on a positive note and a happy ending. This adds to the overall impact of the movie as it keeps the viewer thinking and reflecting on the long lasting impact of the genocide.

A specific scene that stood out to me is the one in which Dellaire is on the phone in Rwanda with a UN leader in New York. This scene was filmed in such a clever way as it highlights the contrast between the different perspectives of the characters. The camera is shaky when we see Romeo’s point of view in Rwanda and we also hear real sounds in the background of explosions and gunshots. Compared to when we see the perspective of the leader in NYC and the camera is stable and there is no background noise as it is really calm and quiet. 

This movie does an incredible job of portraying the genocide and in a way that feels real and not cinematic. The film does not try to impress the audience and instead shows the truth behind the awful events in Rwanda. I would rate this movie a 7/10 since it was super educational and touched on so many aspects of the genocide (economic, social, political, etc.). I would recommend it to those trying to understand how real and deadly this conflict was while watching a beautiful easy to follow movie. (bonus points if you understand French ;))

[mykedagger]

Another fun one from the @edmontontattooshow on @soulxpunx #tattoo #luckystriketattoo #traditionaltattoo #traditional #yegtattoo #edmontontattoo #shakehandswiththedevil #traditionalrose #traditionaltattoo

[oldhandrecordcompany]

@headandtheheart #thesamples #feelusshaking & #kriskristofferson #shakehandswiththedevil make me #shake! #letsbestill (at Downtown Linden Hills)