Reviews

Beyond the Gates

It's weepy on the other side of the fence

By BRETT MICHEL | March 29, 2007

2.0 Stars

VIDEO: Watch the trailer for Beyond the Gates.

As the end credits roll on Michael Caton-Jones’s film, the latest to deal with the Rwandan genocide, it’s hard not to tear up. We’re shown image after image of the production’s crew members accompanied by text detailing terrible personal losses, and the empathetic realization dawns that these are actual survivors of April 1994’s horrific slaughter. If only the film itself had presented their plight in more than two dimensions. Instead, its subject is White Man’s Guilt, as represented by Joe Connor (Hugh Dancy), a naive young idealist teaching at the École Technique Officielle, a secondary school in the Rwandan capital of Kigali. Filming at the actual location is undercut by the use of fictional characters; even so, John Hurt brings moral verisimilitude as Father Christopher, the school’s headmaster. Although more dignified than Caton-Jones’s Basic Instinct 2 (what wouldn’t be?), Beyond the Gates is nearly as languid.

Topics: Reviews , Crime, War Crimes, Genocide, More

| More

See more deals

view all

[ 05/26 ] "A Natural Order," photographs by Lucas Foglia @ David Winton Bell Gallery

[ 05/26 ] George Orwell's 1984, adapted by Nick Lane @ Gamm Theatre

[ 05/26 ] "2012 RISD Graduate Thesis Exhibition" @ Rhode Island Convention Center

ARTICLES BY BRETT MICHEL

REVIEW: GIRL IN PROGRESS | May 15, 2012
As rites of passage go, Girl in Progress is a step backward for the genre.

REVIEW: FIRST POSITION | May 10, 2012
While not the most probing look at rising stars, Bess Kargman's documentary focuses on six aspiring contestants preparing for the prestigious Youth America Grand Prix competition (a proven entry point into the world of professional ballet) who demonstrate dazzling talent.

REVIEW: THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL | May 03, 2012
Filled with Indian (and British) clichés, it is nonetheless a pleasant diversion that doesn't involve special effects or 3D glasses.

REVIEW: BLUE LIKE JAZZ | April 12, 2012
A faith-based film directed by Christian recording artist Steve Taylor, adapted by Taylor and Donald Miller from the latter's 2003 memoir, this micro-budgeted indie tries to appeal to everyone by not offending anyone . . . except those who like movies.

REVIEW: JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI | April 04, 2012
Eighty-five-year-old Jiro, with his unchanging expression and bald pate, resembles a wizened turtle. Leaving home at age 9 and forced to fend for himself, he would become the world's greatest sushi chef.