Beasts of No Nation (2015)

War is hell. And some films focusing on the topic aren’t too heavenly. Enter Beasts of No Nation (2015). Indeed, this harrowing story of one child’s journey through hell might be hard to watch. And once you see it, it’ll be even harder to forget. Set in an unnamed African nation that is caught up in a civil war, the story follows Agu (Abraham Attah), a young boy whose mother (Ama K. Abebrese) has been sent away. If that’s not sad enough, his father (Kobina Amissa-Sam) and the rest of his family are killed. Agu barely escapes only to find himself forced to fight for the rebel army. As such, the youth goes from being a typical, fun-loving kid to a child soldier capable of doing whatever he must to survive. Along the way, we meet Sergeant Gaz (Opeyemi Fagbohungbe), an Old Witch Woman (Grace Nortey), a Linguist (David Dontoh), a Preacher (Teibu Owusu Acheampong) and a Pastor (Fred Amugi). Fortunately for us, Idris Elba is the enigmatic rebel leader who likes to walk around without his shirt on. While talking to a group of soldiers (many of whom are also topless), Mr. Elba parades his ebony pecs to great effect. Luckily for Agu, the Commandant (Elba) eventually loses power which means the young soldiers can attend a missionary school. After dealing with nightmares, Agu gradually resumes his childhood. But before the story comes to this semi-happy ending, you may get a semi while realizing Idris is naturally armed with muscular guns!