BEYOND THE GATES

a.k.a. SHOOTING DOGS

4 Stars – Profound

          In the genocidal war of 1994 in Rwanda, over 800,000 Tutsi people were killed by their fellow countrymen of the Hutu race. In the face of such obvious evil it is natural to ask:  “Where is God in all of this?”  The question implies that God is either distant and uninvolved or, if he is present, then he is impotent and unable to stop evil, for we cannot imagine a God of love allowing such a holocaust to happen.  Yet the God revealed to us in Jesus Christ demonstrates that God is not distant nor is He impotent.  Jesus joins us in our suffering and brings life out of death.  But it is a divine economy that often leaves us feeling impoverished in the midst of the struggle.

            Similar to the 2004 award-winning film, “Hotel Rwanda” in which Don Cheadle won an Academy award, “Beyond the Gates” also tells the true story of a place of refuge where Tutsi people gathered for protection.  But, unlike the events that unfolded at the hotel where there was a happy ending, “Beyond the Gates” is a tragic story of ultimate sacrifice and love in which the pastor laid down his life for his people.  Cast as extras within the film are actual survivors of the massacre who in various ways were able to survive the machete-wielding mobs.

            Rather than a plush hotel, in this film the gates protect a modest school where Christians have been serving the Rwandan people for decades.  Under the care of Father Christopher (John Hurt), the school serves a secondary purpose when the UN peace-keeping troops from Belgium set up camp on their athletic field.  When the President of Rwanda is killed, the tribal and ethnic hatred gathers momentum as the Hutus attempt to squash the “cockroaches” or Tutsi people who have “infested” their land.  This causes hundreds of Tutsis to come to the gates of the school and seek protection.  Fr. Christopher accepts them into his sanctuary.

            Also serving at the school is a young naïve Christian teacher serving as a missionary.  Idealistic and theologically immature, Joe Conner (Hugh Dancy) is overwhelmed when the violence begins and has no categories for understanding where God is in all the hatred and violence he sees.  The violence is so evil that even Fr. Christopher struggles when he sees people in a nearby church who were killed while in the sanctuary because there were no soldiers guarding them.

            Though we won’t tell how all the events transpire, the theological understanding of God’s place being among the poor and suffering, the murdered and the crucified, is a clear Christian message within the film.  Any mature theology explains that life in this world does not always have a happy ending, nor are the choices of human beings magically stopped when they choose violence. 

God has given us great ability to love and lay down our lives for one another, which means that He must also give us the ability to not love and take the lives of one another.  That He weeps over the suffering and the destructive choices we make is clear.  That He came to forgive us and give us a new way of being is obvious.  That we still have a problem accepting that forgiveness and choosing God’s love is the real tragedy.

 

Discussion:

1. The anger Fr. Christopher has toward the U.N. peacekeeping force is graphically shown.  If you had been the pastor of that school, what would you have said and done in this situation?

 

2. The request of the father to have the Belgium soldiers shoot their children rather than leave them to be raped and murdered by the mob was denied.  What would you have done if you had been a soldier that day?  Would you have left?

 

3. When Joe left that day, it is obvious years later that he is still haunted by that decision to save his own life.  What would you have done?  Why?

 

4. The willingness of Fr. Christopher to get the children out of the school and away to safety required his ultimate sacrifice.  What would you have done?

 

5. It is often said that Christianity in some parts of the world, such as Africa, is a mile wide and an inch deep because the tribal and ethnic prejudice and hatred continue.  How do you believe this can be overcome?  Fr. Christopher’s school had both tribes worshiping and studying together, and yet it was one of his own students who killed him.  Why do you think that happened?

 

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Cinema In Focus is a social and spiritual movie commentary.  Hal Conklin is former mayor of Santa Barbara and Denny Wayman is pastor of the Free Methodist Church. For more reviews: http://www.cinemainfocus.com.