A Must See
I had a wonderful night out last Friday at the E Street Theater in DC. While looking for a film that would both interest me and potentially a group of Kevin's guy friends, we decided upon seeing The Last King of Scotland. Even though I knew the film would be violent, I believed the story would be very engaging. I was blown away with how amazing this film was! The acting was superb and there was only one really violent scene. And I have to declare that this was one of the best movies I've watched since I laughed my face off at Little Miss Sunshine at the end of the summer.
I
agreed to this film in part because of my personal interest in the history of the African country of Uganda. I journeyed there in the summer of 2005 to study its people, religion and culture alongside several classmates, professors and others from Duke. During our trip, we traveled throughout the countryside, personally taking in how the country was still suffering from the damage done during the 1971-79 rule of its leader: Idi Amin. I saw bullet holes in buildings; I saw towns in ruins; I saw the places where tourism used to flourish before the dictator kicked all the Asian Indians out of the country. As I watched on the big screen the story of Idi Amin's reign of terror, my heart broke for the country all over again because I knew the terror Idi Amin was real. Forest Whitaker did a brillant job as the dictator and on Monday night won a Golden Globe for his work on this film.
I believe as people of faith, especially in America, we have to continually place ourselves in situations where our social conscience is enlightened and challenged. We are a part of a global story and family even when it is easy to think otherwise. I'm glad for movies like this one that reminded me all over again of my brothers and sisters in Africa: their pain, their hopes, their struggles. We can't forget them!
Go see Last King of Scotland if it is playing anywhere near you. I promise you that you'll be pleasantly surprised with how enjoyable a cultural experience at the movies can be when you are watching this one.
I
agreed to this film in part because of my personal interest in the history of the African country of Uganda. I journeyed there in the summer of 2005 to study its people, religion and culture alongside several classmates, professors and others from Duke. During our trip, we traveled throughout the countryside, personally taking in how the country was still suffering from the damage done during the 1971-79 rule of its leader: Idi Amin. I saw bullet holes in buildings; I saw towns in ruins; I saw the places where tourism used to flourish before the dictator kicked all the Asian Indians out of the country. As I watched on the big screen the story of Idi Amin's reign of terror, my heart broke for the country all over again because I knew the terror Idi Amin was real. Forest Whitaker did a brillant job as the dictator and on Monday night won a Golden Globe for his work on this film.I believe as people of faith, especially in America, we have to continually place ourselves in situations where our social conscience is enlightened and challenged. We are a part of a global story and family even when it is easy to think otherwise. I'm glad for movies like this one that reminded me all over again of my brothers and sisters in Africa: their pain, their hopes, their struggles. We can't forget them!
Go see Last King of Scotland if it is playing anywhere near you. I promise you that you'll be pleasantly surprised with how enjoyable a cultural experience at the movies can be when you are watching this one.
posted by Musings @ 12:29 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home