Beasts of No Nation

A couple years ago Netflix released an original movie called "Beasts of No Nation". In my opinion it was easily one of the best movies that year, and it has stuck with me ever since. It follows the story of a young boy in an ambiguous sub-Saharan African country who ends up as a child soldier in a conflict with no real end. Quite a few of the things that happen to him bear a stark similarity to what Guts went through during his time growing up as a child of war.

Cary Fukunaga (director of the first season of True Detective) was both the writer and director. The performances are top notch; Idris Elba plays a major character (similar in many ways to Gambino), and the main child actors great. It's one of the most moving and emotionally exhausting cinematic experiences I have ever had.

Here's a trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xb9Ty-1frw&ab_channel=Netflix
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Yep, I saw this last year. It's a good adaptation, but what it misses is the language of the book, which was part of what made it special. If you liked the movie, you should definitely check the book out.

Opening paragraph: "It is starting like this. I am feeling itch like insect is crawling on my skin, and then my head is just starting to tingle right between my eye, and then I am wanting to sneeze because my nose is itching, and then air is just blowing into my ear and I am hearing so many thing: the clicking of insect, the sound of truck grumbling like one kind of animal, and then the sound of somebody shouting TAKE YOUR POSITION RIGHT NOW! QUICK! QUICK QUICK! MOVE WITH SPEED! MOVE FAST OH! in voice that is just touching my body like knife."
 
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