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Beasts of No Nation
2015 137 min Brazil, United States of America R 16+
★7.9
Drama, War
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
🎭 Based on
«Beasts of No Nation»
byUzodinma Iweala
Trailers
EN
Teaser
Description
Based on the experiences of Agu, a child fighting in the civil war of a West African country. Follows Agu's journey as he's forced to join a group of soldiers. While he fears his commander and many of the men around him, his fledgling childhood has been brutally shattered by the war raging through his country, and he is at first torn between conflicting revulsion and fascination.
Budget:
$6M
US Gross:
$90,777
Worldwide:
$9.08M
Starring
Abraham Attah
Actor
Emmanuel Affadzi
Actor
Ricky Adelayitar
Actor
Awards
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2016
— Best Supporting Actor
Venice Film Festival 2015
— Marcello Mastroianni Award
Venice Film Festival 2015
— UNESCO and CIFEJ Award
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2016
— Best Supporting Actor
Venice Film Festival 2015
— Green Drop Award
BAFTA 2016
— Best Supporting Actor
Venice Film Festival 2015
— Marcello Mastroianni Award
Venice Film Festival 2015
— UNESCO and CIFEJ Award
Key opinion
Beasts of No Nation is widely praised as an immersive, emotionally devastating portrait of the loss of innocence during civil conflict. While some debate the effectiveness of its resolution, the film is largely recognized for its unflinching atmosphere, hypnotic direction, and powerful lead performances.
| Acting | Abraham Attah delivers a striking, nuanced debut performance that effectively anchors the protagonist's descent from childhood innocence to a traumatized soldier. | |
| Acting | Idris Elba offers a magnetic and complex portrayal of the Commander, successfully rendering him as a ruthless yet deeply humanized figure. | |
| Direction | Cary Fukunaga’s direction and the film's atmospheric, dreamlike cinematography create a hauntingly immersive experience that captures both the beauty and brutality of the landscape. | |
| Score | Dan Romer’s hypnotic, transcendent score is highly effective in mirroring the protagonist's distorted, trauma-induced perception of reality. | |
| Ending | The ending creates a divide among viewers: some find it a poignant, hopeful resolution for the protagonist's path to recovery, while others feel it is too sugary and emotionally unearned given the preceding brutality. |