Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly, Michael Sheen
Rated: R for strong violence and language
Edward Murrow once noticed that if television (and I will throw in film) does little more than entertain, than all that we have created was flashing lights in a box. The beauty of good cinema is when is brings to light aspects of life that change us. A great example is the Edward Zwick film Blood Diamond, a riveting tale about diamond smuggling, human trafficking, and the difficulties of the African nations. The film follows south African smuggler Danny Archer (a brilliant performance by Leonardo DiCaprio) who is teams up with a refugee Solomon Vandy (a equally brilliant Djimon Hounsou) who knows where a large diamond is hidden in the hills of Africa. Archer promises Vandy that, if they recover the diamond, he will reunite Vandy with his family. The story is a dramatic and exciting one, depicting many different aspects and responses to the situation in Africa, and leaving us westerners stunned at the sheer brutality of their world. Yet, despite its solid storytelling, Zwick does so to move and motivate us, to stand against conflict-zone diamonds, human trafficking, and other social problems. Through Zwick’s storytelling we realize that we are more than bystanders watching this story unfold; we have the ability and calling to be fighting against these issues. That is the beauty of Blood Diamond: it not only entertains us, it also changes us.
Children of Men
Starring: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine
Rated:R for strong violence, language, some drug use and brief nudity
Alfonso Cuaron’s film Children of Men is a bleak, disturbing picture of how the world would look if humanity lost the ability to reproduce. As simple of an act as it is, it does affect the way we live and act. While this stunning look brings many things to light that we simply take for granted, Cuaron does so in an exciting and dramatic sort, and gives us some of the longest, most complicated shots in film. But, despite it’s rough exterior, Children of Men truly depicts the value of humanity. And, once we begin to fully realize this, how far we will go to save it. With it’s harsh and disturbing reality, Children of Men paints a moving picture of the beauty of humanity and hope.
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