The average window between a film’s theatrical release and its home video debut has traditionally been about 90 days. Netflix’s first original movie, Cary Joji Fukunaga’s Beasts of No Nation—based on the acclaimed 2005 novel by Uzodinma Iweala—is finally bowing on DVD and Blu-ray after premiering on the streaming service in 2015 (in 2020, Roma—another Criterion release—became the first Netflix film to arrive on home video).
Set in an unnamed war-torn African country, Beasts of No Nation opens with pre-teen central character Agu (Abraham Attah)—a self-professed “good boy from a good family”—horsing around with friends and later sharing an enjoyable dinner with his family that humorously segues into a belching contest. These early scenes of childhood innocence and domestic ease under sunny skies abruptly shift when members of an invading military group that has seized control of the government begin executing male villagers (the females, including Agu’s mother and sister, barely escape). Agu’s father and brother are killed, and Agu flees into the bush, where he struggles to survive but is eventually caught by a rebel force comprised mostly of child soldiers, headed up by a father-like figure known only as of the Commandant (Idris Elba).
Initially frightened and wary, Agu is personally groomed by the Commandant (for reasons that become clear later), ultimately embracing the Commandant’s power-to-the-people ideology and commitment to seeking revenge against the corrupt government. But very much like their oppressors, the rebels also indiscriminately mow down men, women, and children as they march under orders toward the capital in a bid to take power.
The turning point comes early on for Agu when the Commandant hands him a machete with instructions to kill an enemy captive who the Commandant claims were one of those who murdered Agu’s father and brother. Anger and indecision play across the boy’s face for several suspenseful moments before the machete winds up being buried in the man’s skull and Agu along with a fellow child soldier named Strika (Emmanuel “King Kong” Nii Adom Quaye) continue to hack the victim.
Beasts of No Nation walks a fine line with viewer sympathies, refusing to sugarcoat the atrocities committed by Agu and his young compatriots but also making clear that they are victims, part of a purposely drugged-out makeshift family of kids who are alternately terrorized and inspired by a charismatic leader. In telling Agu’s painful story, Fukunaga also presents a clear-eyed portrait of the ruthless politics of warring factions in post-colonial Africa, where patriotism can quickly give way to opportunism as resource-hungry developing nations come calling.
Fukunaga's film is not an easy watch, mixing choreographed action set pieces with intimate moments of extreme brutality (much of which is offscreen). But while it is quite violent, this is neither a glorified war film nor a nihilistic apocalyptic tale, but rather a compelling cinematic and emotional odyssey—anchored by sterling performances from Attah and Elba—that chronicles a young boy’s grueling loss of innocence while also holding out the hope of possible salvation.
Presented with a 2K digital transfer, extras include an audio commentary featuring Fukunaga and first assistant director Jon Mallard, two new documentaries (with interviews of Fukunaga, author Iweala, actors Elba and Attah, and producers Amy Kaufman, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, and Riva Marker), a conversation between Fukunaga and producer and cultural commentator Franklin Leonard, an interview with costume designer Jenny Eagan, and a booklet with an essay by film critic Robert Daniels. A powerful, often gut-wrenching tale of shattered adolescence in a world marked by daily threats and uncertainty, this is highly recommended.