NI2 FILM REWIEWS

THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND (Directed by Kevin Macdonald)

The Last King of Scotland is an adaptation of a novel by

Giles Foden, which is loosely based on historical facts. It

is a drama, set in Uganda during the 70’s.

The movie tells us of Idi Amin’s life, who was one of the

most bloody African dictators, through the eyes of Doctor

Nicholas Garrigan, a non-historical character. Garrigan

was firstly fascinated by Idi Amin Dada, because at the

beginning he represented a blow of fresh air in Uganda’s

political life. After that he became the personal doctor of

Idi Amin and his Adviser. But real life is cruel and he

soon realized the fascinating Idi Amin had an awful dark

side.

The interest of this film, and his distinctive characteristic, is that it represents Idi

Amin Dada’s both faces and how a dream about freedom and change of a

country can became a fatal nightmare. Forest Whitaker, who won an Oscar for

this role, built a powerful character, because he performed a real dictator who is

sometimes like a small child, sometimes terrible, but always fascinating. My

only objection to this movie would be the character of Doctor Garrigan who was

a bit naïve.

This is a gripping film, and also depicts a real historic fact which represented a

hope that changed into a dreadful curse. And if you want to know why Idi Amin

Dada was the Last King of Scotland, you have to watch the film. It’ll be on

tonight 18th of November on the second channel. ;-)

The Untouchables

“The untouchable” is a French comedy-drama film

directed by Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano. Set in

modern-day France and based on a true story.

It is a story about friendship and social classes: Philippe

is a really rich man, who becomes disabled because of

a paragliding accident. Driss, on the other hand, is an

immigrant from a marginal district who just came out

of jail. Philippe hired Driss to be his live-in caregiver, so they started to know each

other and become friends, despite the warnings of Philippe’s family, who didn’t trust

Driss because of his past.

This film is one of the best films I’ve ever seen. It makes you laugh and cry, and teach

you the value of equality and respect. Also, I love the soundtrack, made by Ludovico

Einaudi, a pianist and composer well-known in the film world.

Original and unexpected, I recommend this film to everyone.