Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
Based on the experiences of Agu, a child fighting in the civil war of a West African country. Follows Agu's journey as he's forced to join a group of soldiers. While he fears his commander and many of the men around him, his fledgling childhood has been brutally shattered by the war raging through his country, and he is at first torn between conflicting revulsion and fascination.
Beasts of No Nation is anchored by a towering dual performance from Idris Elba as the charismatic and terrifying Commandant, and Abraham Attah in a devastating debut as Agu. The acting is genuinely exceptional and earns a 4 without question. Cinematography by Cary Joji Fukunaga is lush and visceral, using the jungle landscape both beautifully and oppressively — another clear 4. The plot follows a fairly recognizable descent-into-darkness arc drawn from the source novel, competently rendered but not structurally surprising. Novelty is above average but not singular — the child soldier narrative in African civil war settings has precedents, and while this is a distinguished entry, it doesn't reinvent the form. The ending is understated and appropriately bleak but somewhat abrupt, landing more as a quiet exhalation than a truly resonant conclusion.