War Dance

This is about the documentary "War Dance". It is about the Northern Uganda Acholi tribe of Patonga. They are mostly orphaned children because of the rebels in that region that are fighting the government and consequently killing off farmers, raping their women, and abducting their children. The burning question I think this film really asks is why are we letting this happen? Sure, for the most part, it's about these children trying to compete in a national music competition, but I think at the heart of it, it's about the atrocities that are being committed by the rebels. The role of the filmmaker is the advocate and the observer, and the genre is direct cinema. The visual imagery is the first thing I noticed, and also happened to be the thing I found most stunning. The colors look so surreal, almost as if they had been doctored in post. Yet, that is just the beauty of Africa. The close-ups on the eyes during intense dramatic scenes are very moving. The theme of this doc is atrocities in 3rd world countries like Uganda. Again, masked by a music competition, but the real focus is obvious. The filmmakers' stakes were what if they were killed when they were out following some of the people into the bush, or if the rebels just attacked their village? The editing techniques used in this film were using shots of scenes of the tribe practicing for the competition, and then using shots of some of the children telling their stories, building up the intensity. It's like a rollercoaster of emotion. I think this along with Cove is one of the most moving films I've ever seen, and one I will never forget.