“Hotel Rwanda”

This film clearly illustrates the power that one person can have to make a difference in the world. It is a story that takes place during the holocaust of tribal fighting in the country of Rwanda. It is a story that is not comfortable to watch as we see the savage butchering of hundreds of thousands of people, all because they belong to different tribes at war with each other.

One quite ordinary man manages to save the lives of over 1,000 helpless refugees by hiding them in the hotel that he manages in the country. We see the courage of this man, and we also see that he is actually an unlikely savoir for these people since he is wealthy far beyond the means of the people he is helping.

The beauty of this story is that it makes each of us realize that there is power in one person, if only that person is willing to step up. One person, acting entirely on his own, can make a difference in the lives of people who have no other hope. Clearly, these refugees could do nothing for their benefactor. They had little more in the way of resources than the shirts on their back, but he was still willing to do what he could to rescue them from almost certain death.

This is not a pretty film, but it is a film that will reawaken one’s hope in the human race and what each one of us is capable of, if only we will overcome our fears and listen to that inner voice that tells us there is an injustice that needs to be righted.