Review of Beasts of No Nation (2015) by Andy D — 15 Mar 2016

A powerful, brutal and at times beautiful film about a young boy who is trained by a ruthless commandant to be a child soldier, in a conflict in an unnamed African country.

Idris Elba gives an absolute powerhouse of a performance - award-worthy in my opinion - as the Commandant, but the real star is the young boy playing 'Agu', the main character. His portrayal of a boy losing his innocence and venturing into the warlike existence of 'men' is incredible. Agu goes from being a frightened boy to the commandants bodyguard, and it is heartbreaking. The film is also about human spirit, and the strength of it to survive under the harshest of conditions.

Brilliant, compelling stuff. Not easy to watch tho, and hardly entertaining, but utterly riveting.