Beyond the Gates

Set in Rwanda during 1994, Beyond the Gates—which was inspired by actual events—focuses on idealistic young British teacher Joe Connor (Hugh Dancy), who works at a technical school run by a Catholic priest named Father Christopher (John Hurt). When longstanding tensions between the majority Hutus and minority Tutsis finally reach a flashpoint—following the death of the Rwandan president in a suspicious plane crash—the ensuing genocidal atrocities (during which United Nations observers prove powerless) drive thousands of Tutsi refugees to seek sanctuary at the school. Written by David Wolstencroft and directed by veteran Scottish filmmaker Michael Caton-Jones, Beyond the Gates, like the similarly-themed Hotel Rwanda before it, makes these horrendous events both real and vital, celebrating men who willingly undertake efforts that they know will almost certainly prove futile, while also castigating those who know what's at stake and do nothing. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include a 39-minute “making-of” featurette, a PSA on “Ways to Get Involved” with the International Rescue Committee, and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a solid drama.] (E. Hulse)