Uganda Rising

Uganda Rising is a Vancouver-produced documentary about the suffering of the Acholi people in northern Uganda:

For two decades a war between Museveni’s government forces and a rebel group known as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has devastated Northern Uganda, and in particular the Acholi people. Through inhumane terror, the LRA has abducted over twenty-five thousand children, often forcing them to commit atrocities, sometimes even against their own families. Many are then put into military combat.

The film is incredibly visceral and unflinching, and there are a number of scenes which are difficult to watch. It focuses on children who have never known peace, and how, in addition to their daily struggles to survive, live in constant fear of abduction and murder. The film tells the story of one of the more unreported tragedies of the last twenty years.

Despite its subject matter, the movie has a musical quality to it, both in its lyrical editing and its soundtrack. The filmmakers clearly put themselves at risk to make the film, following their subjects as the children make the long, sad journey to the cities every night for safety.

They’ve also lined up a knowledgeable, articulate set of experts and pundits to provide background and context. Noam Chomsky is a little obtuse and clinical, but Lloyd Axworthy, Susan Power and Betty Bigombe are all excellent.

By the end of the movie, I was a little confused about how I should feel about the issue. The problem is depicted as horrific and ongoing, but the film concludes on a note of hopefulness. I would have preferred, I think, less sentimentality and some emphatic calls to action (as in the denouement to An Inconvenient Truth).

Along the same line, I wasn’t entirely sure how the filmmakers felt about Uganda’s current president, Yoweri Museveni. While he was clearly culpable in the problem, they didn’t necessarily emphasize this. In short, it felt a little like the movie wanted to dance around criticism of the government–maybe to ensure further access to the country?

Finally, I was underwhelmed by the narrator, Kavan Smith. Maybe I’m spoiled by the likes of Morgan Freeman or James Earl Jones, but his voice seemed both character and charisma-free. I didn’t necessarily want him to emote his way through the piece, but I would have chosen a less ordinary voice.

Ultimately, these are minor quibbles about an engaging, well-produced documentary. It stands alongside Shake Hands with the Devil as another testament to the horrors that east Africa has suffered.

Disclaimer: I’m acquainted with two of the people who made Uganda Rising. I’m friends with director Pete McCormack, and went to high school with director of photography Tim Hardy.

UPDATE: I’m not sure if the film will receive a theatrical release of any scale. There was a screening last month at the Fifth Avenue Cinema, and the DVD is for sale on their website. It also strikes me as the kind of documentary that you’d see on The Passionate Eye as well. I’ll post a follow-up if I hear it’s going to be shown anywhere else.