MovieChat Forums > Beasts of No Nation (2015) Discussion > The molestation game

The molestation game

posted 9 years ago by jaym89
23 replies | jump to latest

What is the first scene that comes to your mind when you think about the movie?

Today I thought back about the movie. And the first thing that came to my mind was the molestation of Agu by the commander. That scene overshadowed everything, and that's not OK for the message of the movie, because it should be a movie about child soldiers and now it's just a movie about molestation. I don't think: oh man somebody has to stop war in those countries because child soldiers, murder, families destroyed blabla. The movie makes me just think: man somebody has to stop those child molesters around the world. And I don't really think that was intended to be the message of the movie.

If that scene wouldn't be there, my first thought about the movie would be
a) Agu killing the engineer
b) child soldiers stomping on a baby
c) Strika dying

And it would have been OK because I think that was the intended message of the movie. Even Agu suffered after the molestation - or was shown suffering by choices of scenes - more than he suffered after killing the first engineer or every other situation he had to live through.

The solution to this could have been a little more subtle. The molestation wouldn't have been in the foreground of the movie if they would have depicted it like Strikas molestation in the camp.

[–] soonerpike697 9 years ago

I only remember it coming up in just that one scene right? I guess I didn't pick up on Strikas molestation at the camp...

I do what I say and I say what I mean

[–] jaym89 9 years ago

Yes just that one scene, but they played it out as if it was the worst thing in the movie. Well it sure was for Agu and for the viewer, but it well... I repeat myself if I say it overshadowed everything else.

I only found out about Strika being molested here on the board. It was THAT subtle and that's alright because that's awesome to know because it puts the character Strika in a new light, but nevertheless doesn't distract from anything else. Well... Distraction... That is what Agus molestation scene was.

I often read that depicting rape in movies is a trend nowadays... But that it was a cheap trend, a cheap device, just playing for the shock and a cheap way around of making the viewer know that the character has something broken in his life. Well now I understand those people criticizing rape in movies. It can be done well, like with Strika, but it also can be done badly, like with Agu. I guess.
Another good example is mad max. They didn't show the raping, they just told it... And it was OK. They didn't have to show it so that I believe them.

Here come some game of thrones spoilers of the fifth season:
When the female character was raped in that season, many people hated on the show. I think the scene was awesome and not entirely unnecessary. Trying to say I'm not one who dislikes every rape in movies. Only if it works. Beast's didn't work for me...

[–] Zero_Wolf 9 years ago

There's a scene early on which gives away what's going to eventually happen to Agu.

Strika is called up to the Commandant's house up on the hill. Agu notices it. And all they show is Strika going inside. Nothing else. But because they made a point of showing it at all, because they made a point of Agu noticing it, it was pretty obvious (to me anyway) what was going on and what was probably going to happen to Agu.

____________________________
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[–] AfroGeek 8 years ago

There's another scene where he's summoned and Idris follows him into hut late one night.

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Project Mayhem ID: In life I am ur432978. In death, I have a name. My name is AfroGeek.

[–] monroea3 9 years ago

I didn't think that scene could be any more subtle.

[–] imajestr 9 years ago

This is actually a key to understanding the dynamics of the situation in the film. The molestation is simply an extension of the exploitation these children face at the hands of the rebel leaders. To them, the boys are just bodies to be used. How is this different from the use of child soldiers?

[–] sinsemilla420071 9 years ago

How would you have made it more subtle? I suspected, but wasn't sure, about the molestation until I saw Strika's reaction (and subsequent comforting) when Agu leaves the Commandant's tent.

I also find it weird that in your second reply on here you bring up rape and how it can work if done subtly, but completely overlook the scene with a graphic depiction of rape. Child molestation is indeed horrific, and I'm not trying to downplay it at all, but seeing a terrified woman (whose small child is being beaten to death, possibly within view and definitely within hearing distance) shot in the head by a child soldier, while being raped, was far more graphic and disturbing.

As to the first scene that comes to mind when I think about the movie, it's the taxi cab scene. The whole movie is wrought with emotion and violence, but it was the desperation of that scene that stuck with me the most. As a parent, I can't even begin to imagine how insanely hard going through something like that must be.

[–] jaym89 9 years ago

The movie was not about the woman who got raped, so I had absolutely no emotional ties to her. The Baby stomping was hard, because it was shocking. But what overshadowed everything was Agu being molested. It overshadowed everything so much so that the aspect of "child soldiers" was set into the Background, and due to the hatred and disgust against Idris Elba character after the molestation Scene I was only fixed on the molestation.

Molestation was not necessary. We want to know how bad it is to be a child soldier. It is so unique to african war torn countries. Why not just put the Focus on that? Molestation of kids on the other hand happens everywhere, it is a widely known subject and it is not unique to child soldiers. I understand that it also happens to child soldiers, but at the same time it happens everywhere else. So why not Focus on the unique child soldier struggles minus the child molestation. I could even bet that it is not that common for them being molested. Sure, it happens, but being a child soldier does not mean that sexual molestation is totally about to happen.

Putting molestation on Screen is almost all the time executed badly and serves as a bad writer's way of finding something that Shocks the Viewer. In this movie the writers thought "well, sure Idris is a bad Person in this movie, but People will still find him cool, because it is Idris. How do we Show that he is not at all to be likeable and how do we make the Viewer be disgusted of him? Well, I'm a bad writer and can't think of another way than showing or implicate that he is a child molester. Everybody hates child molesters, even if they are played by the most charismatic actors. So yeah that will work!"

Every bad Thing that Agu did afterwards... I Kind of felt like he did it because he was raped, because he was disturbed by the rape and because his brain and behavior was *beep* because of the rape... and NOT because he was a CHILD SOLDIER.

Thus: bad writing.

(Well, the movie was good after all, I only think that making Idris' character a child molester was bad writing, so don't get me wrong)

[–] sinsemilla420071 9 years ago

I guess it just affected you more than it did me, because it didn't overshadow anything for me and I felt there was very little focus on it. They barely even touched on it, and didn't actually show anything. It was implied.

And no, the movie was not about the woman who was raped, but that scene showed (briefly) the actual act of rape. The act of Agu being molested was never shown, yet you keep discussing it like it was.

We'll just have to agree to disagree on the topic. I thought it was handled very well, and was an example as to how these child soldiers are used both in body and mind. As to how often it happens with child soldiers...I have no clue, but I suspect the author of the novel (who is originally from West Africa) has a better idea as to how prevalent it is. This movie is based off of his book, so it's not bad writing from Cary Fukunaga...the depiction in the book is more graphic.

Still waiting on the answer of how you would have toned down something that was never actually shown on screen though.

[–] imajestr 9 years ago

Jay - I think what you have to realize here is that you're only describing your reaction to this molestation scene. The way it's written, it does not overshadow the rest of the film, but is yet one more depiction of how the Commandant forces these children to do atrocious things. I'm no expert on child soldiers, but from what I've read, rape is not uncommon in such situations. You complain that we should be focusing on how bad the situation is for child soldiers. Well, guess what, this depicts yet one more real-life way that child soldiers are abused.

So you're complaint that it "overshadows" the movie is really just a commentary about your personal feelings toward child molestation. For you, that sexual transgression is worse than all the other atrocities, and that's fine, but it's YOUR reaction, and there's nothing in the movie that inherently makes it the focus of the script or Agu's experience. In fact, in many ways, it merely enhances our understanding of the extent to which the Commandant uses his cult-leader status to influence and brainwash these vulnerable boys.

This is not a flaw of the film. If you find it problematic, it's coming from a person place. It's probably a good thing to find it so shocking, but it's not a good idea to want to whitewash it because it's shocking: it happens in real life, so removing it to protect your sensibilities would compromise the whole movie.

[–] wanganegresse-17-66043 9 years ago

Well said.

[–] lindley-ward32 9 years ago

Well said. Exactly how I felt about it. Just another device to show how exploited these child soldiers were. They were made to believe they fought for a worthy cause when in actuality they were pawns for the warlords own personal gain and pleasure. You see another level of the exploitation in how the Commandant is treated/viewed by his commander (his name escapes me but the man giving the orders through the radio and towards the end promotes Two-IC?)

[–] IsHuellHappy 9 years ago

So, you're fine with graphic depictions of women being sexually abused, but outraged by implied, off-camera child sexual abuse.

[–] magiciangirl2 9 years ago

My thoughts exactly. This movie was thoughtful and intelligent. I stopped watching GoT because the (male) writers became too heavy handed with all the rape story lines, and Sansa, who was never sexually assaulted in the novels, was too much.

I don't think there was any reason not to suggest child rape in this movie, however, since it is a common tragedy within conflict areas and people should be more aware of it.

[–] PoppyTransfusion 9 years ago

Putting molestation on Screen is almost all the time executed badly and serves as a bad writer's way of finding something that Shocks the Viewer.

I agree with you. It also demeans the adult men who brutalised the children and makes them contemptible rather than frightening. No doubt such activities occurred and occur but it does manipulate audience emotions in a particular way.

I'm scared of the middle place between light and nowhere

[–] benman46 9 years ago

Movie about molestation?? What the fck are you talking about.

[–] usherman 9 years ago

I didn't think the bofo scene was necessary either. At least they didn't show it.

[–] MetalgearSldSnk 9 years ago

I didn't think they overshadowed the movie with the molestation. I thought they down-played it too much. Agu pretty much seems to forget about it.

I did like how it was subtle with the Strika situation. I barely noticed it when the scene comes up. I kind of guessed that Strika got molested. Then when it happens to Agu it pretty much makes more sense.

[–] twelveboar 9 years ago

I thought the same about the molestation- I've no doubt it does happen with child soldiers, but it paradoxically lessened the impact of the whole picture. Any small moral ambiguity The Commandant had (such as believing some of the propaganda of his own speeches) is rendered moot by making him a child molester. "He is using horrific methods for what he believes is a just cause... no, wait, he's just evil." If sexual abuse was necessary to the plot, a more deft move would have been one of the other soldiers doing the abuse.

[–] jamotide 8 years ago

You guys need to check your priorities. The most shocking scene by far was them storming that farming village and just killing everyone.