Sometimes In April Movie Analysis

When Paradise Became Hell

The Rwandan genocide is an event that many want to forget and overcome. In those hundred days nearly one million Rwandans lost their lives or loved ones. Both Hotel Rwanda and Sometimes In April are excellent teaching tools for studying the causes of the Rwandan genocide, the ways acts of genocide were committed and fueled and the importance of family during this tragic event. However, Sometimes In April does a better job at depicting the violence in the region at the time, the confusion about the “good guys vs. bad guys” and the post-war sentiment and struggle faced by the Rwandan people.

The causes of the Rwandan genocide were clearly explained in both movies. The explanation of the history of Rwanda gave viewers

In an early scene, the commander is seen listing the weapons in his possession. As we walks he says “Thanks to the support of our French friends, we have Kalashnikov from Albania, Israel Uzis, Czech grenades, M-16 rifles from the USA, guns and armor from Egypt…machetes from China…they’re here and we have plenty of farmers that need to go to work [“work” was a euphemism for killing used commonly over the airwaves in Rwanda during this time].” The world may not have intervened much or early enough in Rwanda, but it was easy to see what side of the war many countries supported or supplied indirectly. In Hotel Rwanda, Paul Rusesabagina was close friends with George Rutaganda the vice president of the Rwandan Hutu militia Interahamwe. Rusesabagina was picking up supplies from Rutaganda when a crate full of machetes was accidently opened, he picks one up and tells Rusesabagina they are “a bargain buy from China, 10 cents each. You know I’ll get a decent 50 for each.” To this Paul Rusesabagina responds “at least.” The main weapon that is a definitive symbol of this genocide was the machete. Machetes later make an appearance in both films in the hands of many Hutu militia men. Their signature scare tactic with these weapons is to scrape the metal blades against the ground. It was a widely available weapon, both movies mentioning their origins in China. This was the weapon of choice because not only was it widely available, but many Rwandans were farmers. The agriculture background of many of the civilians that made up the armies gave them the skills needed to use a machete. The weapon was not only a killing tool, but a tool used as part of their everyday lives. By distributing a common weapon, one that many people already had access to, the Hutu forces were able to organize a specific method of killing in which the majority of Hutu people could participate. The machete can