Beasts of No Nation

Parental Rating: R

Contains: Language    Nudity    Violence    Sex    Drug Use    Adult Content    

Jill's Review

Opens October 16, 2015

Runs 137 minutes

Agu (Abraham Attah) lives a happy life with his family in an unamed African country. Soon, their existence is threatened by Civil War as government troops close in from one direction and angry rebels move closer from the other. The family is forced to flee. Agu's Mother and younger siblings escape just in time, but his Father and older brother are executed and Agu must flee into the jungle. Eventually, he is found by a group of soldiers under the direction of the Commandant (Idris Elba). At first, Agu is repulsed by these men and their hostile and brutal methods. But, he is taken under the wing of the Commandant. He is torn between the allure of being needed by this man and the abhorrence at what he must do to serve him. He soon becomes a full-fledged child soldier and leaves his boyhood behind. He quickly becomes a shell of his former self, and all for a war that seems to have no purpose. Will he ever escape from this man's grasp? And, if he does, will he ever be able to go back to the childhood he left behind?

This is a brutal movie. It really paints a picture of what it must be like for these child soldiers. Idris Elba is great as the charismatic, but horrible, Commandant. It is easy to see how Agu would fall under his spell. Abraham Attah, in his first movie, is fabulous as Agu. You can see every emotion written across his face. He is still a boy and he wants to be needed and cared for. But, this comes at a steep price in this film. Hard to watch, but worth it for the performances alone. It is explicit and powerful so be prepared. Go see it!

Movie Search

Find a movie by name, genre, or ranking.