Beasts of No Nation (2015)

A drama based on the experiences of Agu, a child soldier fighting in the civil war of an unnamed African country.

Director:

Cary Joji Fukunaga

Writers:

Cary Joji Fukunaga (written for the screen by) (as Cary Fukunaga), Uzodinma Iweala (based on the novel by)

Stars:

Abraham Attah, Emmanuel Affadzi, Ricky Adelayitor

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 33 wins & 53 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Abraham Attah	...	Agu
Emmanuel Affadzi	...	Dike
Ricky Adelayitor	...	Village Constable
Andrew Adote	...	Ecomod 2nd Lieutenant
Vera Nyarkoah Antwi	...	Little Sister
Ama K. Abebrese	...	Mother
Kobina Amissah-Sam	...	Father
Francis Weddey	...	Big Brother
Fred Nii Amugi	...	Pastor
John Arthur	...	Angry Bush Taxi Driver
Grace Nortey	...	Old Witch Woman
Emmary Brown	...	Grandfather
Nataliah Andoh	...	BBC Host
Matthew Mpoke Bigg	...	BBC Correspondent
Nana Mensah	...	Young Girl

Storyline

Follows the journey of a young boy, Agu, who is forced to join a group of soldiers in a fictional West African country. While Agu fears his commander and many of the men around him, his fledgling childhood has been brutally shattered by the war raging through his country, and he is at first torn between conflicting revulsion and fascination Depicts the mechanics of war and does not shy away from explicit, visceral detail, and paints a complex, difficult picture of Agu as a child soldier.

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Plot Keywords:

child soldier | civil war | boy | guerrilla warfare | guerrilla | 

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Taglines:

Child. Captive. Killer.

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Akan

Release Date:

16 October 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bestie bez vlasti

Filming Locations:

Ghana

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$51,003, 16 October 2015, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$83,861, 23 October 2015

Company Credits

Production Co:

Princess Grace Foundation, The, Red Crown Productions, Participant Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

137 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cary Fukunaga cast real former child soldiers and members of the various factions from the Sierra Leone and Liberian Civil War such the Liberian Armed Forces, the LURD, and the CDF as extras and consultants but they ran into difficulty getting everyone onto the set in Ghana because they were held up in the Ivory Coast as suspected mercenaries.

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Goofs

When Agu is first captured by the NDF and made to carry a crate of ammunition, it is a crate of 5.56x45mm rounds (according to the markings on the crate). Curiously, neither side in the civil war uses weapons that chamber this round; the NDF forces all carry Kalashnikov variants chambered in 7.62x39mm while the NRC soldiers favor HK G3 variants chambered in 7.62x51mm.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Agu: It is starting like this.
[watching other children playing]
Agu: Let's keep looking. They aren't good enough.
Dike: Hey, let's take that girl.
Agu: Which one?
Dike: That girl. Zoey. Let's take her.
Agu: Ah... No. What about that one?
Dike: Him?
Agu: Yes.
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Filmbarátok Podcast: Episode #1.84 (2015)

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Soundtracks

A Good Family
by Dan Romer

User Reviews

Overall Good

From the beginning I had high hopes for this movie and it lived up to my expectations. From beginning to end The Child goes through his stages as he is more exposed to violence. He was at first a very innocent kid scared to be apart of the fight but when circumstances force him to join the violence he has only one choice. The children acting in this movie are amazing, it is one of the best movies where a child grabs your attention. The director did a great job on here. And can't Forget Idris Elba, not an outstanding performance but still great. Idris's character also goes through his stages on this one too just like the kid. The Scenery was beautiful and it wasn't really nothing special but it's hard for me these days to come across a movie that I can rate over a 7 and this one is a 8 in my book. With this one Netflix proves that their originals are one of the best nowadays.