The Silent Army (Jean van de Velde, 2008): Netherlands

Reviewed by Mishone Feigin.  Viewed at the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre at the AFI Film Festival, Hollywood.

The Silent Army is directed by Jean van de Velde, a prolific Dutch film director and writer.  It is a shockingly realistic telling of the horrific rebel armies in Uganda and their capturing and brainwashing of child soldiers.

The film starts out with an introduction into the simple and poverty-stricken life of a young black African boy named Abu, and the more fortunate life that his best friend, who is white, lives.  Their relationship is beautiful and wholesome, despite their difference in race and class.  After Abu’s village is brutally attacked by a rogue army, and he is forced to slaughter his father with a machete, Abu is taken into the jungle and forced to become a murderous child soldier.  His friend is crushed by Abu’s disappearance, and convinces his father, a restaurant owner and chef, to venture into the jungle and bring Abu back home.  The father finds himself deep in the heart of the chaotic Ugandan reality of constant war and murder on his search for Abu. 

This was one of the most realistically violent films I have ever seen in my life.  It was very difficult to watch, as it portrayed the maiming and killing of countless innocent people and children.  Not only that, but the mental and emotional scarring that the child soldiers are put through is absolutely upsetting to even think of.  In one scene, the rogue army massacres a church filled with people praying.  This is the epitome of evil in human form.  These killings seem to have absolutely no point or goal, which is what is so tragic about them. 

During the Q & A with the director after the film, I learned that there is very little being done to end these terrible wars.  Political corruption is so dominant that anyone wanting to make a change must do so almost entirely on their own.  Also, it is in the financial best interest of many to keep these armies killing because they fuel the black market.  It is an endless circle that has no active conscience.

I was blown away by how real the special effects seemed.  When an actor’s leg or arm was blown off in the film, nothing was hidden from the camera, and it looked unbelievably real.  The locations were also absolutely stunning.  Also, the emotional journey of the characters was so well documented in the script: they were all tormented by the things they had seen, and felt so hopeless in their attempts to make any kind of a difference.  This made the film so effective in sending its message, which seemed to be that unless individuals step up and join together to bring peace to these bloody lands, no one ever will.  I was moved by the film and now feel a great responsibility to help in some way to make a difference in this world.  SEE THIS FILM.