A “brutally realistic” war film has been hailed as “fantastic” but “gruelling” to watch, and is “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes. Beasts of No Nation (2015) tells the story of a young boy called Aga (played by Abraham Attah) as he is groomed to become a child soldier amid a horrific civil war in a fictional West African country.
Idris Elba co-stars as his sickeningly evil commandant, in a performance that saw the Hollywood actor nominated for a Golden Globe. The film was written, directed, and co-produced by Cary Joji Fukunaga, known for his work on the likes of hit series True Detective and James Bond flick No Time to Die.
Based on Uzodinma Iweala’s novel of the same name, the film is praised for its gritty realism and tragic depiction of Aga’s loss of innocence.
One audience reviewer on Rotten Tomatoes described the film as “Fantastic, gruelling, and emotional. This movie should have got some Oscar noms. Edris Elba is incredible in this role, one of his best performances, in my opinion.”
Another said: “I don’t remember it being this good. This is simply one of the best war movies I’ve ever seen.
“Brutally realistic. Nothing is watered down,” they added.
A third, who gave the film five stars, said the film “represents what I couldn’t even dream of in a nightmare”.
“It’s almost soul-destroying, but I cannot recommend it enough,” they continued.
“It’s a pertinent depiction of what is going on in the world, and you NEED to watch this, and hopefully feel compelled enough to do something to help, however big or small the gesture may be.”
The film is rated 15 and features some deeply disturbing scenes. The British Board of Film Classification notes that it contains strong bloody violence, sexual violence, bad language, and drug misuse, so it may not be for everyone.
But though the film confronts hideous aspects of the child soldier phenomenon, its high score among critics and the broader public reflects the high esteem in which it is held.
On Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer, the film has a score of 91% (the percentage of approved critics who have given it a positive review).
It’s also got a 92% Popcornmeter score, which is based on the percentage of users who gave it a rating of 3.5 stars or higher.
Beasts of No Nation is streaming now on Netflix.