Lieutenant-General Romeo Dallaire and his wife Elizabeth visit Rwanda in 2004, more than a decade after the genocide
In one of the opening scenes of Shake Hands with the Devil, Lieutenant-General Romeo Dallaire, played with stoic realism by Nikita’s Roy Dupuis, stands on the bluff of a hill, surveys a gorgeous vista, and exclaims, “Nobody told me it was so God damn beautiful!” The undefiled, scenic beauty stands in the starkest possible contrast to the unspeakable horror that will soon follow. Seville Pictures and director Roger Spottiswoode ambitiously and commendably bring to the screen Dallaire’s first-hand account of the horrific 1993 genocide that saw 800,000 people slaughtered in 100 days. Unlike most conflict films, where a similarly terrained location stands in for the actual one, Shake Hands with the Devil was actually filmed on location in Rwanda.
Spottiswoode and producers Michael Donavan and Laslzo Barna have endeavored to present the story with faithful, understated directness. There’s no sappy music, extended discussions of emotions or manipulative montages, and none are needed. The audience is forced to bear witness to horrific events that should not have happened but are a matter of historic record. We feel Dallaire’s frustration as, one by one, his fellow ex-pats pull out and his force is weeded down to a handful of willing men who are unarmed, unauthorized and unable to act. All the while, they are trying to deal with distant bureaucrats and government officials who refuse to acknowledge the situation or even apply the term “genocide.” The film carefully acknowledges the moderate Hutus who were killed alongside the members of the Tutsi minority by Hutu extremists, and blame is roundly distributed. The numerous players are not caricatured or stereotyped and the graphic violence is neither downplayed nor exploited. Rwandan native Odile Katesi Gakire gives a moving and extremely credible performance as the ill-fated Agathe Uwilingiyimana, prime minister of the Peace Government. “It’s easy to love a child who is beautiful, but can you love one who isn’t?” she asks Dallaire in the early part of the film, before everything gets horribly ugly.
Shake Hands with the Devil avoids the Hollywood hyperbole and dramatic clichés that undermine the serious nature of movies like 2006’s Blood Diamond. Unfortunately, this may also limit its audience. While this is not an easy film to watch, it is definitely one that needs to be seen. The disturbing images and the pervasive question of how this could have happened linger long after the credits have rolled.
