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Reel World Reality A ministry of the ChildCare Action Project: Christian Analysis of American Culture (CAP Ministry) A 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Christian Ministry. www.capalert.com/ Entertainment Media Analysis Report A service to His little ones through you in His name by His Word MAR2012.056  (2007), NR [R-NR*] (110.1min) The #1 Christian entertainment media analysis service on the Internet. We give you OBJECTIVE tools NO ONE ELSE CAN to help YOU make an informed decision for yourself whether a film is fit for your family. Over 1300 analyses for parents, grandparents, pastors, youth leaders and more. |
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(While the Scriptural references are certainly not subjective, my commentary may be and sometimes is somewhat subjective.)
 Production (US): IFC Films, Adirondack Pictures, BBC Films, UK Film | Council Distribution (US): Fox Home Entertainment Director(s): Michael Caton-Jones Producer(s): David Belton, Pippa Cross, Jens Meurer, David M. Thompson, Paul Trubits, Ruth Caleb, Karsten Stoter, Richard Alwyn Screenplay by: David Wolstencroft Based on: Story by Richard Alwyn, David Belton Cinematography/Camera: Ivan Strasburg Music: Dario Marianelli Film Editing: Christian Lonk Casting: Karen Stewart, Hope Azeda Production Design: Bertram Strauss Viewed on Fox Home Entertainment DVD Beyond the Gates is a film about the 1994 machete slaughter of over 800,000 Rwandans including children and babies by extremist radical militants. Does it really matter why? Can there be "justification" for such genocide? The Rwandan Hutu majority persecuted the Tutsi minority. It was by pressure from the West that the government run by the Hutu share power with the Tutsis. This set a slowly growing ethnic fire among the people. The Tutsi wanted nothing more than the Hutu to become slaves for the Tutsi. Eventually the United Nations deployed a small armed force in the capital city Kigali to "monitor" the fragile peace. The UN weapons were strictly for defensive purposes if fired upon. To even use the machines guns the UN brought required approval of the Secretary General. The original version of this film was rated R by the MPAA for strong violence, disturbing images and language. This version by Fox Pictures available through ChristianCinema.com is sanitized of the language but the strong violence and disturbing images are still there. With a final score of 47, even after sanitization this film is still R-equivalent. It is G-equivalent in Sexual Immorality (S) and Offense to God (O), PG-13 equivalent in Impudence/Hate (I) but R-equivalent in Wanton Violence/Crime (W), Drugs/Alcohol (D) and Murder/Suicide. That this film is depiction and portrayal of actual events does not excuse the negative influence of the content. I do not know if I can impart to you the depth and extent of exceptionally disturbing and gut-wrenching acts of inter-ethnic hatred portrayed by this film. The performers as well as the script are most effective at it. It is unnerving that man can stoop to such hatred. For 30 years Catholic Father Christopher (portrayed by John Hurt) operated the Ecole Technical College near Kigali with the help of idealistic English teacher Joe Connor (portrayed by Hugh Dancy). After some footage of peace and plenty, ethnic friction began to ooze through the land. Hutu military and militia presence became more and more prevalent. Brutality against the Tutsi started to become commonplace. Hutu government officials started lists of Tutsi people and their addresses. Reports of murder of Tutsis by Hutu thugs with machetes, to which the Hutu police turned a blind eye, began to surface. Then on April 6th, 1994 by a coup the Hutu president was killed at the airport. The UN forces readied for assault as sounds of military ordnance began to fill the night air. In the dark of night hundreds of Tutsi refugees from the melee in Kigali appear at the gates of the Ecole Technical College where the UN forces are based. Against the judgment of the UN commander Captain Charles Delon (Dominique Horwitz), Father Christopher and teacher Joe decide to let the refugees on school property to protect them from the Hutu who soon swarmed outside the school gates, all of them with spiked clubs or machetes and some with rifles, churning and chanting, waiting for an opportunity to break into the school and kill the Tutsis. Father Christopher and Joe find themselves amidst a devouring genocide. One of the most gut-wrenching parts of the film was when the UN forces were ordered to withdraw to the airport, leaving the 2,500 Tutsis vulnerable to the machete-wielding Hutu extremists and militia. Additional scenes of despair were of the bloodied bodies of murdered Tutsi including babies and adolescents littering the roads and being eaten by dogs. The viewer witnesses some of the portrayals of machete murder of live Tutsis, including individualized portrayal of the murder of a mother and her baby who was recently born in the school and named Christopher after Father Christopher who delivered the baby just hours earlier. Now Father Christopher and Joe must make a choice: to leave when the UN forces leave with the "whites" or stay facing certain death by machete at the hands of the Hutu. Following are brief discussions of the content per individual content investigation area. As always the Findings section of this report, the heart of the CAP Analysis Model, is the best source for discovering the full accounting of the content of this film. Wanton Violence/Crime (W) - Zero out of 100 the line items of findings as noted in the Findings/Scoring section is far too lengthy to try to summarize them in this brief investigation area discussion. Please inspect the listing in the Findings section for a full accounting of the findings of violence and/or crime. While it would be counterproductive to try to summarize the vast findings of violence, it would be prudent to refresh your understanding of God's Word about violence. Of the more than 50 times God admonishes us against violence and its influence, Proverb 16:29 succinctly addresses His wishes. In Proverb 16:29 God warns that violence can be enticing and can lead the witness into the way that is not good. Not only has God "published" His feelings about violence, man has plagiarized His Word, probably without knowing it, by four professional public health agencies jointly publishing that viewing violence in and as entertainment can, among other things, lead the observer, especially the young, to real life violence and can lead the observer to believe violence is an effective means to settle conflict. How many ways and by how many must we be told of the acidic influence of violence before we start listening? Impudence/Hate (I) - 58 out of 100 This is a story about hatred. What can one expect of such a film. It is rife with expressions of hatred. Murderous hatred with mob mentality. [1 Pet. 2:1, Col. 3:8] Other examples of impudence and/or hatred include race selectivity of those who will be saved from death and physical brutality. While there are no uses of profanity in the entire 110.1 minutes of the film, there are three uses of euphemisms of the most foul of the foul words and a couple instances of where anyone who can read lips will see where the audio, closed captioning and subtitles of the profanity was edited. Sexual Immorality (S) - 94 out of 100 There is no nudity or witnessed sexual assault but there are two accountings of rape of Tutsi women. Drugs/Alcohol (D) - 36 out of 100 As might be expected of mob mentality there are examples of booze, drinking and drunkenness. [Gal. 5:21] And smoking. Offense to God (O) - 94 out of 100 Twice characters utter expressions which use God's name in vain. [Deut. 5:11] Murder/Suicide (M) - Zero out of 100 Murder is rampant. The observer sees performers portray brutal and graphic murder by machete, spiked club and gunfire many times. SCRIPTURAL APPLICATION(S) If needed to focus or fortify, applicable text is underlined or bracketed [ ] or bold. If you wish to have full context available, the Blue Letter Bible is a convenient source. If you use the Blue Letter Bible, a new window will open. Close it to return here or use "Window" in your browser's menu bar to alternate between the CAP page and the Blue Letter Bible page. CHAPTER/VERSE --> Children who see a lot of violence are more likely to view violence as an effective way of settling conflicts. Children exposed to violence are more likely to assume the acts of violence are acceptable behavior. --> Viewing violence can lead to emotional desensitization towards violence in real life. It can decease the likelihood that one will take action on behalf of a victim when violence occurs. --> Entertainment violence feeds a perception that the world is a violent and mean place. Viewing violence increases fear of becoming a victim of violence, with a resultant increase in self-protective behavior and a mistrust of others. --> Viewing violence may lead to real life violence. Children exposed to violent programming at a young age have a higher tendency for violent and aggressive behavior later in life than children who are not so exposed. Further, God speaks darkly of violence 56 times in the Old and New Testament of the KJV.] As always, it is best to refer to the Findings/Scoring section -- the heart of the CAP analysis model -- for the most complete assessment possible of this movie. |
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(The objective heart of the CAP Analysis Model, independent of and insulated from the Summary / Commentary section.)   Wanton Violence/Crime (W) - Zero out of 100 Impudence/Hate (I) - 58 out of 100 Sexual Immorality (S) - 94 out of 100 Drugs/Alcohol (D) - 36 out of 100 Offense to God (O) - 94 out of 100 Murder/Suicide (M) - Zero out of 100 |
| There are some in the entertainment industry who maintain that 1) violent programming is harmless because no studies exist that prove a connection between violent entertainment and aggressive behavior in children, and 2) young people know that television, movies, and video games are simply fantasy. Unfortunately, they are wrong on both accounts." And "Viewing violence may lead to real life violence." I applaud these associations for fortifying 1 Cor. 15:33. Read the rest of the story. From our years of study, I contend that other aberrant behaviors, attitudes, and expressions can be inserted in place of "violence" in that statement. Our Director - Child Psychology Support, a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist concurs. For example, "Viewing arrogance against fair authority may lead to your kids defying you in real life." Or "Viewing sex may lead to sex in real life." Likewise and especially with impudence, hate and foul language. I further contend that any positive behavior can be inserted in place of "violence" with the same chance or likelihood of being a behavior template for the observer; of being incorporated into the behavior mechanics and/or coping skills of the observer. In choosing your entertainment, please consider carefully the "rest of the story" and our findings. |
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| For G rated Films with G equivalence: G PG equivalence: PG-G PG-13 equivalence: 13-G R equivalence: R-G< | For PG rated Films with G equivalence: G-PG PG equivalence: PG PG-13 equivalence: 13-PG R equivalence: R-PG | For PG-13 rated Films with G equivalence: G-13 PG equivalence: PG(13) PG-13 equivalence: PG-13 R equivalence: R-13 | For R rated Films with G equivalence: G-R PG equivalence: PG-R PG-13 equivalence: 13-R R equivalence: R | For NR rated Films with G equivalence: G-NR PG equivalence: PG-NR PG-13 equivalence: 13-NR R equivalence: R-NR |
