Beyond Borders: A Refugee Film
an article by Joe

Angelina Jolie is cool, in a weird sort of way. I was not sure what to expect when I sat down with some friends to watch her new movie, Beyond Borders. But, in spite of my preconceptions about this unusual actress, I was impressed by the serious political statement made in the film.

Beyond Borders follows the life of a humanitarian aid worker, played by Jolie, as she travels from Africa to Cambodia to Chechnya in pursuit of a lost love - a doctor friend who has devoted his life to helping refugees. The love story did not really hold my interest. Much more compelling, and at times revolting, were the scenes of utter desolation and despair in these embattled locales. The film tries hard to convey the courage of aid workers amid the senseless inhumanity of refugee situations. From bloated corpses and political oppression in Africa to small children playing with grenades in Cambodia to the terror of landmines in Chechnya, you are forced to confront the suffering of real people in a way that is usually unkown to those of us who live under the mainstream media blanket of wealthy "Western" countries.

Overall, I had mixed feelings about the film. Jolie is actually a "goodwill ambassador" for the United Nations, and she has spent time working for the UN-affiliated reflief agencies that her character works for in the film. Perhaps because of this, the film raises some challenging issues about the politics of aid and the moral dilemmas involved in refugee situations. At times, though, the presentation seemed condescending and didactic, like it was trying too hard to make a statement. By the end of the movie, I was left exhausted and appalled at what I had seen. I was also a little frustrated because it was narrated from the position of privileged white folks, who have the luxery of taking time off to travel the world and "do good."

Despite its flaws, hopefully Beyond Borders will raise consciousness about the horror and heroism of everyday life, as experienced by a large and marginalized segment of the human population. The more difficult task ahead will be sustaining and nurturing this awareness after these two hours of shock treatment, when those of us in "advanced" countries return to our comfortable lives and warm beds.

More info on the movie can be found here.

DISCUSSION

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Can a film show gratuitous violence and promote a culture of peace?


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CINEMA AND TV

Latest reader comment:

Gratuitous violence in itself does not promote a culture of peace, but I believe that movies like "Beyond Borders" promote awareness that is important in promotion of a culture of peace.  By showing movie goers realities that are violent, it will shock them into learning more about what is going on outside of their comfortable box and perhaps lead to them actually doing something about it.

This report was posted on December 4, 2004. The moderator is Victoria.

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