Munyurangabo

Directed by Lee Isaac Chung
Film Movement
2007
98 Minutes
Rwanda
Kinyarwanda
Coming of Age, Black Cinema, Drama
NR / TV-14

After stealing a machete from a market in Kigali, Munyurangabo and his friend Sangwa leave the city on a journey tied to their pasts. Munyurangabo wants justice for his parents who were killed in the genocide, and Sangwa wants to visit the home he deserted years ago. Though they plan to visit Sangwa's home for just a few hours, the boys stay for several days. From two separate tribes, their friendship is tested when Sangwa's wary parents disapprove of Munyurangabo, warning that "Hutus and Tutsis are supposed to be enemies." An intense & inspiring portrait of youth in Rwanda, MUNYURANGABO features Poet Laureate Edouard Uwayo delivering a moving poem about his healing country.

Director & Cast

  • Director: Lee Isaac Chung
  • Starring: Jeff Rutagengwa
  • Starring: Eric Ndorunkundiye

Trailer

Photos

Reviews

  • "One of those miracles that can illuminate the cinema...it is in every frame a beautiful and powerful film -- a masterpiece!"
    Roger Ebert
  • "It's an authentically beautiful film."
    Robin Wood, Film Comment
  • "Munyurangabo uses the fine-grained techniques of cinematic neorealism to illuminate the psychological and emotional landscape of a still-traumatized place."
    A.O. Scott, The New York Times
  • "It's raw and rough, but beautifully photographed and classically constructed, with an undercurrent of awful tension and a lyrical sensibility."
    Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
  • "Free of any mannerism or displays of bravura, the filmmaking is strongly informed with a sense of poetry, cinematic sophistication and a desire to allow scenes to play out fully, but no longer than they must."
    Robert Koehler, Variety
  • "[A]n achingly authentic film, as stirring as it is relevant."
    Mike Scott, Times-Picayune
  • "A searing and unforgettable portrait of a nation in transition as seen through the eyes of those whose lives were irreparably changed."
    Matthew Lucas, From the Front Row