Episode 6 sees the Flixatcher team and guests Ben (Top Film Tip) and John (Future Music) reviewing the 2015 Netflix Original Beasts of No Nation.
Ben’s choice, described in Top Film Tip style
“Orphaned African boy is swallowed into the quagmire of #IdrisElba’s monstrous child army in crushing spellbinder #BEASTSOFNONATION”
For us first-time watchers the experience was brutal, enchanting, often funny and utterly compelling.
The episode #006 crew discussed the how astonishingly well made and at times beautiful the film was, whilst having the backdrop of the unimaginable violence and loss of childhood. Kudos to Idris Elba’s remarkable performance as The Commandant, the flawed anti-hero, playing against type and adding depth to a character that could have been reduced to a stereotype.
Child actors Abraham Attah (Agu) and Emmanuel Nii Adom Quaye (Strika) gave compelling and assertive performances as the two boys who forge friendship and companionship against the bleakest of outlooks.
Despite it being a brutal watch – you have been warned – it is a remarkable piece of filmmaking and in a rare Flixwatcher moment everyone is in universal agreement. With caveats.
Scores
| Episode Crew Name | Recommendability Score | Repeat Viewing Score | Small Screen Score | Engagement Score | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4.5 |
| John | 5 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 4.25 |
| Helen | 5 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Kobi | 5 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| AVERAGE | 5 | 2.25 | 4.5 | 5 | 4.2 |
The overall Flixwatcher Rating for “Beasts of No Nation” was a very healthy 4.2!
It was uniformly high with 5’s across the board in “Recommendability Score” and “Engagement Score” brackets and lowest in the “Repeat Viewing Score”. We all agreed that we would want to watch it again… just not soon. That’s no slight against the film, more a testament to the tough storyline. It’s not an easy Saturday night film!
What do you guys think? Have you seen From Beyond? What did you think? Please let us know in the comments below!
Episode #006 Crew Links
Thanks to the Episode #006 Crew of Ben from @TopFilmTip and John (@JohnLunny) of www.mixcloud.com/john-lunny and futuremusic.fm
Please make sure you give them some love
Flixwatcher Spotify Playlist
The Soundtrack for the Beasts of No Nation was Scored by Dan Romer and we included the track “I saved your life” to the Flixwatcher Playlist
More about Beasts of No Nation
For more info on Beasts of No Nation, you can visit the Beasts of No Nation IMDB page here or the Beasts of No Nation on Rotten Tomatoes page here.
Cary Joji Fukunaga @therealfukunaga
Idris Elba @IdrisElba
Abraham Attah @AttahNii
Emmanuel Affadzi @Affadzi
Ricky Adelayitor @rickyberwick
Andrew Adote @TandohAdote
Vera Nyarkoah Antwi
Ama K. Abebrese @Ama_K_Abebrese
Kobina Amissah-Sam @Kobinaami1
Francis Weddey @alka_seltzer666
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Also published on Medium.