Review of Beasts of No Nation (2015) by Spangle — 15 Oct 2015

We know the stories of refugees. We hear about their wars. Beasts of No Nation allows us to see it first hand. Director Cary Fukunaga may be one of the best directors around when it comes to showing us absolutely brutal and incredibly visceral looks at life in war torn regions (Sin Nombre being the other film by him to do this, but in South America).

Incredibly powerful, violent, and intense, Beasts of No Nation will undoubtedly go down as one of the best films of 2015. The cinematography is gorgeous, as in all of Fukunaga's work, but the strongest element in the film are the characters.

Every character truly elicits an emotional response within you. Their stories, their presence, and their power, all resonate with the viewer. Fukunaga does a great job creating characters we care about in such a mess of destruction and devastation.

Through both his direction and writing, we truly get the full impact of their trauma and that makes this one all the more powerful. The acting is also incredible. Abraham Attah turns in one of the best performances from a child actor I have ever seen and Idris Elba is phenomenal.

A truly wondrous film, Beasts of No Nation is one of the best films of the year and deserves to be recognized as such.