Beasts of No Nation (dir. Cary Fukunaga, USA)
Set in an anonymous West African country ravaged by civil war, Cary Fukunaga’s film adaptation of Uzo Iweala’s 2002 novel Beasts of No Nation explores the stressful relationship between a warrior demagogue—masterfully portrayed by Idris Elba—and an impressionable child soldier named Agu, played by 15-year-old newcomer Abraham Attah.
Fukunaga’s storytelling proficiency is clear. The film is replete with enthralling imagery and a captivating score. What makes the film truly compelling, however, is its attempt at humanizing the proverbial beasts of the film. Submerging the viewer in Agu’s contemplations—most notably through a series of pivotal voiceovers—Beasts offers the sort of insight into the mind of the African soldier that’s entirely absent in Hollywood. Instead of a warmongering organism devoid of any contrition or purpose beyond an unquenchable thirst for blood, we have a human being.
-Abiola Oke
