The Constant Gardner

Last night, Kristy and I saw “The Constant Gardner,” which was an absolutely brilliant film. The remarkable cinematography is reminiscent of other films like "Traffic," though more varied and artistic. The unfolding of the story was also excellently done, but at times, it’s difficult to catch what the characters are saying. (We had to turn the volume up and “rewind” several times.) It's a similar plot to movies such as "The Insider," and the current world events/issues that are thrown into the mix (Iraq, African AIDS crisis, Sudanese state-sanctioned violence) strike an all-too familiar chord in the hearts and minds of any viewers with a TV or internet connection.

Kristy and I were particularly impacted when the main character found himself in the middle of a Janjaweed raid on a Sudanese village. It was the maddening awareness that these raids are still happening in Sudan that made it such a difficult scene.

For whatever reason, that scene stuck with me. I found myself pondering the dilemma that the U.S. and other Western governments face in their dealings with Sudan: take leadership in pressuring the Sudanese government to call off the ethnic cleansing BUT don't make an enemy of the Islamic government lest they revert back to harboring terrorists and we endanger our own people.

My only conclusion was that sometimes good leadership must take risks. In this case, I think (at least I think I think) it's very necessary for the democratic, Western world to uphold the cause of justice and human rights for all people - not just their own. The U.S. in particular is much worse off if the rest of the world sees the hypocrisy of using it's power solely for the purpose of protecting it's own interests.

At the risk of sounding overly critical about an international crisis that I'm not fully educated on, I have read reports that the Bush administration is taking action. The question remains, will it be enough to stop the bloodshed?

So anyway . . . The Constant Gardner . . . great film.

(Click here for more on the crisis in Sudan and how you can be involved.)

Categories: film, justice