Shooting Dogs (2005)

Watching this film came at a perfect time as I'd just previously seen 12 Years A Slave in cinemas. These films side along well against each other without being too similar. They deal with discrimination and inhumanity of true past events which makes what you see on screen even more shocking and emotionally resonant. I feel seeing films that deal with past events is great for me as it provides an entertaining, thought and emotion-provoking medium to connect with and a great starter to further investigation. I didn't know anything about Rwandan genocide beforehand on which the film is based and so it was really insightful to find out what happened. And also very frustrating and distressing to see what was happening and how illogical some people's decisions were. You really felt like you were in Joe's (Hugh Dancy) shoes experiencing the chaos. Without ever expressing his feelings vocally, he gave a fantastic performance through just the use of his expressions and body language. You felt for the people who couldn't do anything as well as those who were being unjustly treated. I think this is a great drama and historical film showing the goings on and would recommend as a great watch for History classes especially as it seems like a great way to start further discussion.