The Last King of Scotland (2006)

This 2006 phenomenon was based on a non fiction event which shocked the world. It shows the lengths at one will go for power and money and the persuasion of the population to believe in something that does not exist. Directed by Kevin Macdonald, he truly pulled of the performance of a life time, really bringing an astonishing real life story of history to life! This brutal film has a variety of genres; horror, tragedy and romance. As an unlikely collection I think they work surprisingly well together and compliment one another well, giving an even balance between all so the film does not become overwhelming. It contradicted the good morals of a sane human being as the destructive images of torturous happenings would not be carried out by a psychologically sound person. I personally felt emotionally scarred by one of many presidents wives (Kay Amin) torture when her legs and arms were sewn on the opposite ways. I felt it was very inhumane and was very daunting to know at one time that actually happened. For a rating of 15 I felt it was inappropriate for the mind of a teenage girl. The Ugandan dictator Forest Whitaker as Idi Aman has won an Oscar for his outstanding portrayal as the Ugandan dictator as he perfectly capitulates the several faces of Aman himself. He was portrayed as a funny, charismatic and tender guy, but he never let us forgets that he was a maniacal monster. At one point he says… “I am the father of this nation, Nicholas. And you have most... grossly... offended your father.” This represents the height at which Idi perceives himself to be at in status. He knows that he is in a position of power and he can do anything he could possibly dream of in knowing this he abuses his position and I find this deeply upsetting. The Ugandan people did not deserve the way they were treated. Although, this also means that the film was very realistic as I seemed to develop emotions towards the poor people. Overall, I enjoyed this film as it gave me a real incite into the African culture. It also reminded me of many horrors around the world and the effect they have on people. Usually it is not a film I would pick as the title did not appeal to me but it was however very good despite that and will help me to vary my film choice more in future.