Hotel Rwanda | Yoko Sato (Dean of the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care)
November 9, 2006
I like movies, but I rarely go to the theater to see them. The pleasure of immersing oneself in that world on the big screen is incomparable to watching on TV, but for that very reason, some content can be quite draining. “Hotel Rwanda” is one such film. There are scenes that make you want to look away, and after it was over, I felt physically tense for a while. Nevertheless, I believe it is a film that everyone should see.
The official website for “Hotel Rwanda” provides the following description: In 1994, a long-standing ethnic conflict in the African nation of Rwanda escalated into a genocide, where one million innocent people were brutally murdered in 100 days. While the United States, Europe, and even the United Nations ignored this tragedy as a “Third World affair,” the conscience and courage of one man saved the lives of 1,200 people who were destined to be killed.
As the film’s tagline says, “I want to protect the family I love.” This single, powerful desire saved 1,200 lives. The film is based on the true story of a hotel manager, a loving husband and father, who, in his struggle to protect his own family, ended up sheltering 1,200 people who had fled the perpetrators of the genocide and gathered at the hotel seeking a final refuge, ultimately saving their lives.
We have heard about the world of “Man’s Search for Meaning” and the actions of the Japanese army in former Manchuria. However, while one could try to excuse oneself by saying those are stories from an era in which I was not involved, the events in Rwanda are contemporary to my own time. 1994 was not so long ago. It was painful to watch the scenes where the protagonist, amidst looming danger, desperately tries to attract the attention of the international community and secure assistance from UN forces as a last resort to protect people from the killers.
The fact that I live in Japan in this peaceful era is nothing more than a coincidence. I could have been one of the people there. Or I could have been on the side of the perpetrators. In various situations, we are constantly being asked which side we will take.
“Hotel Rwanda” is a film that makes you think about such things. Let's take the time to appreciate films like this. Autumn is a time for contemplation.
(Posted: November 9, 2006)