Un dimanche à Kigali

This film is the adaptation of the novel "Un dimanche à Kigali à la piscine" of the Canadian journalist and novelist Gilles Courtemanche. We are in spring 1994: the political situation becomes every more tense.Extremist Hutu leaders are speaking everyday about revenge against the Tutsi population. A Canadian journalist who is preparing a documentary about SIDA in Rwanda meets in the famous Hotel des Milles Collines, a young Tutsi waitress called Gentille and they fall in love.He doesn't manage to marry and to travel to Canada with her.He can't find her during the days of the genocide and has to flee to Ouganda for some weeks.And when he will come back he will find a totally destroyed country. It's a very dramatic story (I have lived in Rwanda for some years in the seventies) about a terrible civil war, where there was a tremendous hate hate and violence, but also some great cases of friendship and solidarity (I recommend the film "Kinyarwanda). PS. All the films about this tragedy such as Hotel Rwanda, Shooting dogs,Kinyarwanda,Sometimes in April are complementary !!

In April 1994, the middle-aged Canadian journalist Bernard Valcourt (Luc Picard) is making a documentary in Kigali about AIDS. He secretly falls in love for the Tutsi waitress of his hotel Gentille (Fatou N'Diaye), who is younger than him, in a period of violent racial conflicts. When the genocide of the Tutsis by the Hutus in Rwanda begins, Bernard does not succeed in escaping with Gentille to Canada. When the genocide finishes in July 1994, Bernard returns to the chaotic Kigali seeking out Gentille in the middle of destruction and dead bodies.

The heartbreaking and powerful "Un Dimanche à Kigali" is certainly the best Canadian movie I have ever seen. The engaging story is a sort of complement of "Hotel Rwanda" and "Shooting Dogs", focused in the romance of a Canadian journalist and a Tutsi waitress, but disclosing also the genocide of the Tutsis in the landscape of a troubled Rwanda while the West simply ignored and turned back to the fate of millions of people. Luc Picard has a magnificent performance that would deserve a nomination to the Oscar, if this award was really concerned with great movies and performances; the gorgeous Fatou N'Diaye has also an awesome performance in the role of Gentille. The direction is realistic, supported by stunning cinematography and scenarios. It is worth seeing this gem recommended to lovers of great movies. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Tensão em Ruanda" ("Tension in Rwanda")

The movie just came out on DVD, I read other comments and agree and disagree with some.

This movie and especially on the BONUS part...the making of Un Dimanche a Kigali, JUST THIS PART IS WORTH IT, where the producers, directors and actors talk about the condition 10 years later after the genocide. To hear and see how professional the Rwandans were and helpful in producing and being extras of the movie was worth buying the DVD.

There are hidden and internally scars that will never heal however my hope is that this movie will present a lesson to how the UN forces from France, Belgium, Italy, Canada and the US were inactive in their missions to police and stop the massacres. My anger was raised when the Canadian general Dallaire who saw all this could do nothing because of the political stance of the countries mentioned and how he wanted to do something but his hands were tied.

Although the story was based on a fictionalized romantic story, and the rest of the characters and events were true, I congratulate ALL for this poignant VISUAL STORY TELLING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED THERE. I have not read the novel, heard it was an international bestseller and certainly raised the question what in HEAVEN is wrong with people/governments who had the military potential, the tools and certainly the possibility to stop this tragedy.

Unfortunately, other dissimulated wars are happening still in Africa such as in Darfur and no once cares...Will it take filmmakers with a conscience to raise awareness??? What are the news media doing in all this? Questions asked but that will be never answered.

If you are one that cares...see this BEAUTIFUL movie...some end scenes are graphic but like one Montreal newspaper critic said...it will show you the bad and good side of humanity.

FYI....according to the movie producers Rwandans are genteel, soft-spoken people....that is what is most surprising about this genocide.

I've seen Hotel Rwanda and now this film about the genocide of the early 90's in that country. Both films are very poignant. This movie is definitely more intimate as we are following a journalist through his view of that country's drama and, especially, his love towards a young black woman. I think that this movie complements nicely Hotel Rwanda with as powerful performances and story with a more day to day view of the very harsh reality of those times.

Be aware that there are some disturbing scenes in this movie. In hoping that movies like this will help raise consciousness and help prevent other tragedies like that one.

I have been looking forward to seeing the film version of Gil Courtemanche's book 'Un Dimanche à la piscine de Kigali'; it was a disturbing yet beautiful film.

The film takes, it seems at first, its sweet time in shaping itself up; but it is merely a way to draw you into the story, making you a part of it.

Robert Favreau did an incredible and sensitive job in being suggestive instead of using candid images but there are moments in the film that remain very hard to witness. By the time you are at the end of the film and the lights turn back on, you find yourself a bit stoned by the amount of emotions you have experienced. You then wish the film had taken even longer in presenting its different characters, or perhaps you wish you had paid better attention.

You want to hate the film because it displays such a level of horror; the hellish reality of the Rwandan genocide is clear in this film. But 'Kigali' doesn't allow you to hate it as you see its love story take center stage and shining despite the darkness of the subject matter...