How this short failed to win the Academy Award for Documentary Short, I'll never know. At times chillingly matter of fact about the historical truths and the statistics surrounding the genocide in Rwanda, ultimately you come away feeling some hope after hearing the stories of five women who have been given body blows by life and have managed to not only survive, but to gain ground in a country where women were little regarded. Because I want to discuss some of the details, this is a spoiler warning:
The events which took place in Rwanda have already been well-chronicled elsewhere, so I won't say much beyond this-a systematic attempt was made to obliterate an entire tribe, planned in a methodical and deliberate campaign by the Rwandan government in an attempt to consolidate its power and outright murder was not the only weapon they used.
As in most things great and small, the Law of Unintended Consequences showed up in the aftermath here. Given the horrific number of casualties, women are now a significant majority of the population and now hold positions which they could never have obtained prior to the genocide, because it was a male-dominated society. Now, there is no choice-if the jobs aren't filled by women, many of them won't get done.
The women tell their own stories and basically relate them in a very matter of fact tone of voice, even though the stories they tell are almost invariably violent and grisly. They have survived and even thrived in adversity. One story, which is about par for the five which we are shown, touched me a little more because of the last words we hear from the woman, who, in a very self-effacing manner, describes herself as "not wonderful". From her tone and her words, I gather that she doesn't see what she's done and is doing as anything worthy of notice or praise, to which I respectfully disagree. She and all the other survivors profiled are precisely that-"wonderful". I cannot recommend this excellent short more strongly. By all means see it, if you get the opportunity. Most highly recommended.
The events which took place in Rwanda have already been well-chronicled elsewhere, so I won't say much beyond this-a systematic attempt was made to obliterate an entire tribe, planned in a methodical and deliberate campaign by the Rwandan government in an attempt to consolidate its power and outright murder was not the only weapon they used.
As in most things great and small, the Law of Unintended Consequences showed up in the aftermath here. Given the horrific number of casualties, women are now a significant majority of the population and now hold positions which they could never have obtained prior to the genocide, because it was a male-dominated society. Now, there is no choice-if the jobs aren't filled by women, many of them won't get done.
The women tell their own stories and basically relate them in a very matter of fact tone of voice, even though the stories they tell are almost invariably violent and grisly. They have survived and even thrived in adversity. One story, which is about par for the five which we are shown, touched me a little more because of the last words we hear from the woman, who, in a very self-effacing manner, describes herself as "not wonderful". From her tone and her words, I gather that she doesn't see what she's done and is doing as anything worthy of notice or praise, to which I respectfully disagree. She and all the other survivors profiled are precisely that-"wonderful". I cannot recommend this excellent short more strongly. By all means see it, if you get the opportunity. Most highly recommended.