14A) Beasts of No Nation (TIFF 2015)

​Netflix.
14A
Running Time: 137 Minutes.
3 stars out of 4.

Netflix's first foray into the feature film market with Cary Fukunaga's adaptation of the novel "Beasts of No Nation," is a beautiful, well acted, and strong produced epic, that suffers from a muddled, and confusing screenplay, and a disappointing final act. Abraham Attah is the real star of this film, and deserves praise for his feature film debut as "Agu" a young boy, fighting to survive, throughout the civil war in his African country. This is a film that starts off so strong, that ultimately the other 2/3's of the film feel like such a letdown. Even the great Idris Elba barely registers as the Commander. Cary Fukunaga's cinematography is impeccable, as this is a beautiful film to look at. I was rooting for this film, hoping that it would live up to the pre-festival hype, and the awards buzz it has received, but ultimately I felt disappointed, and felt as if this film was nothing short of an epic letdown, despite the strong production values, and acting. 

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