Ben'Imana

Matt Neglia4.0

BEN’IMANA, the first film directed by a Rwandan filmmaker to be selected for the Cannes Film Festival’s Official Selection, is a powerful examination of a nation still suffering the horrors of grief nearly a generation later. That trauma is passed down from mother to daughter in this feminist story, where those responsible for the horrific violence are finally facing trial years later, yet the wounds for many remain open and may never fully heal, even if justice prevails. Heavy yet profoundly humane, it’s beautifully shot, performed, and told, with a cultural specificity that can be felt in every aspect of production. A stunning directorial debut for Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo. This wasn’t on my radar heading into the festival, but it really floored me, and now I can only hope others will eventually seek it out.

Brother Bro4.0

Really strong film on all fronts! This film explores the aftermath of the deeply horrific Rwandan genocide where women wrestle with justice, forgiveness, and personal healingMarie-Clementine Dusabejambo is a real filmmaker to watch. She both validates and critiques her characters, forcing the audience to reconcile multiple, reasonable points of view, all while acknowledging characters’ biases and psychological limitations. The performances are excellent, especially Isabelle Kabano who is scathing and commands the screenI may have liked this even more if the scenes were drawn out longer and hashed out more details. I wasn’t ready to exit a lot of these scenes when we did, which is mostly a compliment. Nonetheless, a fascinating and devastating examination of the wake of a genocide

Robert Daniels4.0

How do you grant forgiveness when the crime is unsolved and the injury still hurts? That question looms over Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo’s morally and spiritually complex interrogation of the Rwandan genocide, “Ben’Imana,” the first film to play Cannes hailing from said country. To be clear: “Ben’Imana” isn’t set in 1994 during the turmoil and bloodshed of the human rights tragedy that saw militant Hutus kill Tutsis and moderate Hutus and Twas. The film occurs in 2012. A community-based truth and reconciliation is taking place, whereby half the spectators are Hutu women and the other half are Tutsi. At the center are the judges and the two people: Karangwa (Aime Valens Tuyisenge) and Vénéranda (Clémentine U. Nyirinkindi). The former stands accused of murdering much of Vénéranda’s extended family and committing an unnamed crime against her. While Vénéranda says she’s willing to forgive, causing significant consternation from her sister Suzanne (Isabelle Kabano), whose children’s bodies still haven’t been recovered—it’s immediately clear that Vénéranda hasn’t totally processed her mental and emotional traumas. [full capsule review via RogerEbert ]