On Friday past I saw The Last King of Scotland at the cinema. An incredibly hard film to watch!

“Garrigan’s seduced, as are we, initially, by Amin’s charisma and charm, and only gradually does he become skeptical and eventually horrified as he realizes he’s the intimate of a ferocious dictator who, estimates say, killed off 300,000 of his citizens…”
[IMDB]

The thing I really liked about the film is that it doesn’t resolve. Amin is portrayed not simply as a crazed dictator, but as a human… a very brave and difficult thing to do. We like things to resolve, but the truth is, so often issues just aren’t so black and white… we can’t resolve them.

If you haven’t seen it, I’d recommend it. It is an incredibly well-made film, and it is interesting to watch the progression of Uganda from chanting supporters to horrified victims of a dictator.

Idi Amin: A man who shows fear… he is weak, and he is a slave.
Nicholas Garrigan: If you’re afraid of death… it just shows you have a life worth keeping.

Watch the trailer here.