Darfur Now

Review By: Michael Dance
michaelmdance@gmail.com

As it is a call to action for an international crisis more than it is a movie, Darfur Now is relatively review-proof. It's an enlightening and well-made examination of the genocide in Darfur, a northern region of Sudan, as seen through a handful of different perspectives: an activist here in the U.S., an international prosecutor, a Darfur rebel, and more.

I might as well just get this out of the way: I knew very little about Darfur before watching this movie. I have not spent long evenings pondering the situation and thinking about how I can help, and I have pretty much avoided doing any research on the subject matter whatsoever. (That's the main problem with the film, although it can't be helped: it will only preach to the choir.) Darfur Now gave me a general idea of what's going on over there, although it focuses much more on the activists than the victims in a full-on attempt to feel inspirational and upbeat.

I actually would've rather the film spent more time actually in Darfur, explaining the situation and showing us the atrocities that are being committed. As much of the running time is devoted to Don Cheadle and young activist Adam Sterling in California, the actual tragedy begins to feel way too abstract.

The message here is that everyone can make a difference. Okay. But what can random people with no influence or money do to help? Anything we do is better than nothing, we're told by Cheadle. Okay, cool. But seriously. What can we do?

I realize that the more people are speaking out about the situation, the more of a national issue it becomes, etc. etc. But the point should be to stop the killing in Darfur, not talk about it to death. One of the main "victories" in the film is when Cheadle and Sterling convince Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign legislation that will prohibit retirement funds from investing in the Sudanese government.

Again: the climax of the film is when California announces it won't send money to a corrupt government. If that's the best the subjects of a real-life film can do, how is the average joe supposed to be inspired to help?

Cheadle is obviously very involved in this cause, which is quite laudable; he's using his celebrity to try to do whatever he can to stop the violence. The film, however, should've focused more on Darfur itself than a bunch of self-congratulatory West Coasters, as likable and passionate as they may or may not be.

Real, practical progress will be made when the Sudanese government is held accountable for what it's doing. Which is why one subject of the film, International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, is so much more compelling a figure than everyone else. Charged with prosecuting individuals for genocide, war crimes, and the like, Ocampo sets about actually making a case against members of the ...