#153 - General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait

 
so #153 is a documentary about Idi Amin, the president of Uganda in the 1970's.   The director managed to show the true character of his subject without his subject catching on, and makes it clear in some spots that what's being shown is Idi's stagecraft, arranging audiences, military exercises in 30 year old tanks, etc.   At the same time, we're also seeing a man who honestly, feels a bit over-reaching and in over his head.  He's going to invade Israel with Paratroopers.  He's going to build a radio station to reach all Africa and Europe - We see a man who's ambition is untethered from his actual ability to do things.

It struggled to keep my attention in that regard.   A LOT of the film is Idi Amin talking - generally it seems he's just making stuff up as he goes along.   There is a long scene cabinet meeting where he basically tells his ministers "don't be weak like women" for 10 minutes as if this passes for leadership.  At one point while the Foreign Minister is dressed down, the director inserts a voiceover that two weeks later he will be found dead floating in the Nile River.   This scene had to be cut when Amin held 100 French Ugandans hostage in a hotel and threatened they would not be released without cuts (which were later restored)

but what hit me later, and what hits me now, is the parallels to another President.  Idi Amin was a bit of a dimwit - but could just make stuff up as he rambled.   He clearly loved to cover himself in the trappings of the military, and flipped between presidential suits and his General uniform.   He was a man of humor and joking on the outside, but underneath was responsible for the deaths of thousands of his people.

I can't help but notice the striking parallels to Donald Trump, another pompous over sized man who, once he got into power, had little to no idea of how to actually lead.    It is my sincerest hope we don't see an Idi Amin in the White House, yet the ground is already being laid for his return.   In that regard, this movie is a warning today about the allure of a populist strongman and the consequences of embracing one in an election.

#152 - George Washington

 

This one came out of nowhere for me - I haven't heard of the director, and I hadn't heard of the film that I recall when I watched it - it's beautifully shot - No one else will make the comparison, but I feel he captured the mood and feel of this film the way Wong Kar-Wai captures Hong Kong

The story takes place amongst a group of kids in an economically depressed area of North Carolina.   I almost don't want to say too much about it because I think it's the kind of film you should go in cold with but suffice it to say, the way the story is told, and especially the way it's show by the filmography, Tim Orr, tell a story all it's own.   

The side trivia here is very interesting - most of the actors are amateurs who the director found here and there.   I think they filmed it in a very short time with rented gear from Dawson's Creek, and while the director went on to do several more films, most of the actors/actressses in this film only have one or two credits to their name after this and the lead actor (who the director found on a beach and asked to be in his movie) has none.

This film feels like a southern gothic visual version of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska and I was very impressed - I may even give it a once more with the director's commentary to get all the really good trivia.   It's a dark story, and a bit of one that takes your breath away in spots, but it's worth watching