#5 Seen Any Good Films Lately?

My sister told me about a film that she thought was "violent but very good". Normally, neither my sister nor I like violent or bloody films. So in spite of its violent scenes she liked this one and that made me curious of course. Well, that AND the fact that Leonardo DiCaprio played one of the the main roles...

Blood Diamond is a story set in Africa during the 90s. The inhuman civil war in Sierra Leone splits a family apart and the father, Solomon Vandy, is forced by the rebels to search for diamonds. One day he finds a huge diamond - but he decides to keep it to himself. This diamond brings him to a risky journey together with the former mercenary Danny Archer. Their goals are very different from the beginning; Solomon wants to be reunited with his family while Danny needs a ticket to his freedom. As they survive one dangerous situation after the other, their goals seems to become closer.

The story is well told and makes you symphatize with the characters in some hard moments of their lives. Apart from the story line, the film shows examples of the barbaric actions that the civil people of Sierra Leone where exposed to during the civil war. You will probably also recognize the much-debated problem with illegal diamond trade, which financed the rebel's weapons during the civil war. Another tragic part of the reality that is shown are the children who were forced by the rebels to become soldiers and to fight their own people.

The film offers 140 touching minutes of love, cruelty and politics. Even though I prefer shorter films with a more positive feeling, I really like Blood Diamond. I will probably not see it again - The bloody scenes are a bit beyond my max level of red liquid in a film. I recommend this film to you who can stand violence and blood - and a glimpse of our tragic world.

//Maria