For those unfamiliar with the movie, it was released in 2015 and was based on the 2005 novel of the same name written by author, Uzodinma Iweala. The film is set in an unspecified African country that is facing a civil war. The story follows a young boy of about twelve years old named, Agu, who ends up becoming a child soldier in the resistance army. Agu's transformation from happy-go-lucky boy to hardened killer is a chilling one.
At the beginning of the film, Agu is with his family living safely in a village which is removed from the violence that is plaguing his worn torn country. Viewers see Agu interact with his mother, father, older brother and younger sibling. Shortly in the film, the fighting encroaches upon his village and the family must abandon their home for safety. In a chaotic scene, Agu's father bargains with men who are using their vehicles to transport the internally displaced people. He is able to secure a ride for the mother and baby but the men must stay behind. Within days, military forces advance and capture Agu, his brother and father. The men of the village are lined up for execution. Agu sees his father and brother murdered but he is able to flee to the jungle. Frightened, traumatized and alone, he wanders in the jungle for days without food, water or shelter.
Finally, he comes across a motley crew of soldiers in the jungle who take him to their leader, the commandant of the resistance. The commandant begins the process of recruiting Agu through a series of psychological brainwashing tactics. The commandant preys upon the fact that Agu's father was murdered and repeatedly encourages Agu to avenge his father's death by picking up arms to fight with the resistance. Throughout his training, Agu is subjected to and forced to engage in horrific activities that no child should ever been subjected to. The commandant calls for Agu to come to his quarters where he proceeds to sexually assault Agu. The other child soldiers give Agu "brown brown", a cocaine like drug mixed with gun powder. The time soon comes where Agu must prove he is a true solider and is asked to make his first kill when the resistance enters a village and rounds up innocence people. Agu is goaded into bludgeoning someone to death and in doing so, earns the approval of the commandant. As the film goes on, we see death, destruction, and unspeakable violence (rape of village women, executions of children, etc) in which Agu and the other child soldiers are exposed to. Eventually, after the commandant defects because he is not promoted, the child soldiers decide they no longer want to follow his lead. They are rescued by United Nation forces and placed in the safe sanctuary of an orphanage of sorts fun by a religious organization.
In this safe place, the children are allowed to try to return to some semblance of a normal life. They go to class, play tag and swim in the ocean and yet, they are definitely shell shocked and traumatized. The story ends when Agu meets with a counselor at the orphanage and is asked to open up and talk about his experiences. He simply states that he has done and seen some horrible things of which he does not want to talk about because she will think he is a "beast". Instead he states that he was a good boy once who loved his family and that he was also loved by his family.
This film had an extremely profound affect on me. I knew that child soldiers exist and had even read some autobiographical novels on the subject (mainly on the "lost boys" of the Sudan) but I think this fictional version of a very real phenomenon brought to life the true atrocities that are occurring all over the world for so many young people . I think of my own twelve year old stepson who I worry about because he plays video games I deem "too violent" and I compare this to the reality many African boys witness in their daily life. They are robbed of their innocence. They are orphaned. They are forced to fend for themselves for their basic survival. Why is the world not outraged? Where is our sense of compassion? Why do we look the other way when we know children are being forced into acts that no one should ever do? How can we allow history to repeat itself over and over agin as we see ethnic cleansing practiced in various parts of the world? Why doesn't the world community address the issues of war, violence and destruction? Why do we continue to not address the root causes of displacement? We could be doing more. I do not have the answers but I do know that turning a blind eye to such horrendous situations, fortifying our own borders to prevent those in need of our assistance from seeking safety here, and being callous and immune to others' suffering is not the answer. We are better than this.
References
Kaufman, A. et al (Producer), & Fukunaga, C. (Director). (2015). Beasts of No Nation [Motion Picture]. United States: Red Crown Productions, Primary Productions, Parliament of Owls.
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