BEYOND THE GATES - DVD review

In many ways, "Beyond the Gates" (a.k.a. "Shooting Dogs," 2005) is the flipside of another film about the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

"Hotel Rwanda" (2004) was upbeat by comparison, insomuch as it celebrated the "Schindler's List" heroism of real-life hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina, a Hutu who gave shelter to Tutsi refugees and eventually saved many of their lives through his cunning and quick thinking. Rusesabagina was an exceptional man whose story, unfortunately, was also more the exception than the rule.

"Beyond the Gates" tells another story of the Rwandan genocide--a more common one. The BBC estimated that over the course of a mere 100 days, 800,000 Tutsis were systematically slaughtered by the Hutus--many more than those who were saved by people like Rusesabagina. During the Rwandan "Civil War," more people felt powerless and frustrated than they did heroic.

"Hotel Rwanda" was rated PG-13, but "Beyond the Gates" drew an "R" rating for language and much more graphic footage of the killing and the corpses. And while the actions of the hero in "Hotel Rwanda" were pretty clear-cut and all but pre-determined by the man's character, in "Beyond the Gates" it's more of a moral toss-up. As the Buddhist proverb which flashes across the screen in the beginning of the film foreshadows, "Every man is given the key to the gates of heaven; the same key opens the gates of hell." Two white men in Rwanda leading altruistic lives are faced with the ultimate decision: do they stay and die with the people they've grown to love (and who've grown to depend on them), or do they evacuate with the other Westerners? Must moral goodness require the ultimate sacrifice?

Because everything isn't so knee-jerk responsive or morally clear, "Beyond the Gates" is the type of film that will no doubt be shown in college classes on ethics. What would YOU do? I can almost hear the instructor saying. But the fact of the matter is that no one knows how they will respond until a crisis occurs. That lends both a narrative framework and interest to an otherwise bleak story.

John Hurt stars as Father Christopher, headmaster of the Ecole Technique Officielle, a Catholic-run secondary school in Rwanda's capital city of Kigali. New to the school is an idealistic "I want to make a difference" young teacher named Joe (Hugh Dancy), who is "cool" because he acts so crazy with his students. It's that craziness that makes one of his students, Marie (Claire-Hope Ashitey), have a crush on him. Of course, political events intrude, and there's no time for unrequited love or the kind of thing that would make the tabloids. But Marie serves as both a beacon and a moral barometer of the decisions that Joe makes along the way.

The majority Hutus have been abusing the Tutsis, and so UN forces have been called in to ensure that a coalition government will work. A Belgian unit is stationed at the school, but when Rwanda's president is killed, Hutu extremists launch a nationwide systematic, planned genocide. What's more, they're killing whites, too. Anything goes, and there are roadblocks and the sounds of mortars and automatic weapons. Everyone is suddenly cut off, including the school. And when refugees strain against the gates and the UN commander balks, Father Christopher reminds them that it's a school first, and not a military base. "Open the gates." And for a time, the refugees are safe. Then the UN forces get the order to pull out, just five days later.

Hurt and Dancy deliver fine performances, but what heightens the overall impact is the decision to film in Rwanda and use survivors of the massacre for the film crew (whom we see at film's end). What adds to the impact is location footage and recreations of those chilling days using real guns and real ammunition belts. This may have been a relatively low-budget film, but there's no denying its powerful realism. "Beyond the Gates" is a moving and frank portrayal of the atrocities that took place in Rwanda and the people who were caught in the wake of such violence. "Beyond the Gates" has the raw visual power of a documentary film.

In case you're wondering, filmmakers began work on "Shooting Dogs"/"Beyond the Gates" before "Hotel Rwanda" premiered. So it's an interesting case of kismet--two projects trying to draw attention to a deplorable situation that is still being replayed in other areas of the world. There's a "Ways to Get Involved" public service advertisement included among the extras, and you just know that the cast and crew hope that people will do more than just watch the bonus feature and click on another menu item.

Video:
"Beyond the Gates" is presented in 1.78:1 widescreen, and the picture is generally sharp and approaching full color saturation. As with most DVDs there's a very slight graininess, but not much.

Audio:
The English 5.1 Dolby Surround audio is very good, with superb use of effects speakers and a clear and resonant sound that's evenly distributed. Subtitles are in English (CC), Spanish, or French.

Extras:
You know, given the emotional content of the film and the impassioned plea for people to get involved, I really expected more emotion on the commentaries. But on both tracks--the one with the director and another with the screenwriter and producers--everyone is pretty low-key and matter-of-fact. I personally preferred the second commentary, because producer David Belton was actually a witness to the Rwandan genocide. He was covering the story for BBC at the time, and the impact that this had on him is clear.

Also included is a making-of feature that's pretty decent, and a public service announcement on the International Rescue Committee and ways to get involved.

Bottom Line:
"Beyond the Gates" was based on a book by Human Rights Watch Africa that compiled eyewitness accounts of what happened during the first five to six days of the Rwandan "Civil War." And this film by Michael Caton-Jones feels so authentic you'd swear you'd just tuned in to a BBC broadcast. It's a film worth watching, and a lesson worth learning.