Beyond the Gates (2005)

A Catholic priest and an English teacher get stranded in a school in Kigali during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Director:

Michael Caton-Jones

Writers:

David Wolstencroft (screenplay), Richard Alwyn (story)

Stars:

John Hurt, Hugh Dancy, Dominique Horwitz

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
John Hurt	...	Christopher
Hugh Dancy	...	Joe Connor
Dominique Horwitz	...	Capitaine Charles Delon
Louis Mahoney	...	Sibomana
Nicola Walker	...	Rachel
Steve Toussaint	...	Roland
David Gyasi	...	François
Susan Nalwoga	...	Edda
Victor Power	...	Julius
Jack Pierce	...	Mark
Musa Kasonka Jr.	...	Boniface
Kizito Ssentamu Kayiira	...	Pierre
Clare-Hope Ashitey	...	Marie
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tom Shepherd	...	Belgian Soldier

Storyline

In April 1994, after the airplane of the Hutu President of Rwanda is shot down, the Hutu militias slaughter the Tutsi population. In the Ecole Technique Officielle, the Catholic priest Christopher and the idealistic English teacher Joe Connor lodge two thousand five hundred Rwandans refugees, under the protection of the Belgian U.N. force, and under siege by Hutu militia. When the Tutsi refugees are abandoned by the U.N., they are murdered by the extremist militia.

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Plot Keywords:

tutsi | hutu | militia | catholic | priest | 

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Taglines:

1994, 800,000 killed in 100 days. Would you risk your life to make a difference?

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, disturbing images and language

Details

Official Sites:

BBC Films Official site

Country:

UK Germany

Language:

English French

Release Date:

31 March 2006 (UK)

Also Known As:

Beyond the Gates

Filming Locations:

Charterhouse School, Godalming, Surrey, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

CrossDay Productions Ltd.,ARTE,BBC Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The characters are fictional, but the events are not. Parts of the film were shot at Ecole Technique Officielle (E.T.O.), a high school in Kigali, where the actual events took place. The title of the film comes from the fact that U.N. peacekeepers used to shoot local dogs that fed on the decomposing bodies of the genocide victims.

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Goofs

The French troops who conduct the evacuation of whites from the school appear to use Land Rover Defenders. The light transport vehicle of the contemporary French troops is the Peugeot P-4, a French-made version of the Mercedes G-Wagen.

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Quotes

Joe Connor: Why are you doing this?
Christopher: You asked me, Joe, where is God in everything that is happening here, in all the suffering? I know exactly where he is. He's right here. With these people. Suffering. His love is here. More intense and profound than I have ever felt. And my heart is here, Joe. My soul. And if I leave I think I may not find it again.

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Crazy Credits

Before the credits we are shown photographs of Rwanda genocide survivors who served as on set crew members. Next to each picture is text stating how many loved ones they lost.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: 300/The Namesake/I Think I Love My Wife/Beyond the Gates/The Host (2007)

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Soundtracks

Nyirigira

User Reviews

Deeply moving

It is rare to see a film that has as great an impact as Shooting Dogs. The shocking story of the massacres in Rwanda is told in a setting that is both personal and global.

Great acting, a fine script and good pace... a level of craftsmanship worthy of the magnitude of the subject of this film.

On rare occasions, a story is so shattering it needs only to be toned down for audiences to take it all in. This true story needed to be told, and for us to hear it. Hopefully, after seeing this movie, you will not be as pessimistic about the future of Central Africa as I've become.

The closing credits are well worth sticking around for.