Very intense. Yes, Forest Whittaker is pretty amazingly awesome in this movie, BUT I did not consider him the main role and I really think he should have been nominated in Best Supporting. Sure, it’s a bit meatier than your average supporting part, agreed.

But in my opinion, the Scottish doctor dude played by James McAvoy is the lead role in this movie. He is the one who undergoes transformation, whose part brings about revelations to the audience, and whose emotions are the most apparent and meaningful. His reactions and realizations are what causes the plot to move in this movie. Whittaker’s character, while sometimes deceptive, is really the same through and through. If you know what I’m sayin.

One really really REALLY brutal scene, which at one point I couldn’t just partially close my eyes or peer through my fingers (my normal squeamish mode) but had my hand completely clamped over them. Horrible. Really not sure that needed to be shown on screen in quite that way. Wait, now I remember, there were TWO scenes I was really skeeved by. TWO. The first one being slightly less brutal because not an “active” scene, but more of a brutal tableaux. The second one being really horrific to watch.

Is it sad that my only real knowledge of historical moments like those of African dictators is through the movies? (This. “Hotel Rwanda”. I also love “The Interpreter” which I think almost everyone else hated.) This made me want to ponder all sorts of issues about colonialization, and poverty, and technology, and what kinds of brutal wars happen where and why, and the “rule of law” and how sometimes you think it doesn’t work but sometimes you think “wow it must work better than I think because look what happens when they don’t have that”. I think my random pondering really sort of annoyed my friend, who has actually spent time in Africa, and clearly knows much more about its history and civilization than I ever will. But then, that isn’t a place I really WANT to go so unlikely I ever will. Ah well.

Thought some of the smaller roles in this movie were really well played as well. Gillian Anderson = very poignant. Kerry Washington = intense and sensual.

The last “party” scene was very primal and intense; made you realize how often people TRY to do that but FAIL.

Definitely worth seeing.

p.s. scottish doctor dude = he was the faun in Narnia! and also a role in Wimbledon which I’ve only watched a zillion times so that must have been why he felt familiar to me.