Review of Beasts of No Nation (2015) by Hunter M — 16 Nov 2015

Beats of No Nation is an incredible achievement in film, and not just because it is Netflix's first original movie. It accurately depicts the mentality that child soldiers and those that recruit them are forced into. It is a study of the character Agu, played with such raw emotion by newcomer Abraham Attah, and the viciously manipulative Commandant, played by veteran Idris Elba.

The film was shot in Ghana and the sweltering landscape offers a desolate depiction of a war torn country. The scenes of fighting among the military and the rebel NDF forces are unique in that the action appears real and you fear for the lives of the children fighting.

The film deals with heavy topics such as the idea of child soldiers, killing, rape, and fighting for what you believe in. It is tasteful, yet brutal. Observing and commenting on human nature's natural instinct to turn to revenge. Beasts of No Nation has scenes that will leave grown men with a tear in their eye, and an ending that is ambiguous as to whether it is a happy one or not.