Movies*

*Most of the following movies depict the horrible suffering experienced by the poor, oppressed and marginalized around the world. Some show extreme levels of violence and abuse, yet the stories need to be told. Ratings are included to guide your choices. If you show a movie to a group, please screen it first to determine if it suits your audience.

The Mission: A heart-wrenching film about a Jesuit priest (Jeremy Irons) fighting for the rights of the indigenous Guarani in the jungle of colonial Brazil. The movie highlights the tension between violent and non-violent struggle and the inhumanity of history. It gives glimpses of beauty and death, destruction and loss. Highly recommended. PG

Hotel Rwanda: Ten years ago, some of the worst atrocities in the history of mankind took place in the country of Rwanda. Nearly 800,000 people were brutally murdered in less than 3 months. Yet, in an era of high-speed communication and around-the-clock news, the events went almost unnoticed by the rest of the world. Abandoned to his own devices, an ordinary Rwandan man tries to save the lives of helpless refugees. 14A

Romero: An emotional story about Oscar Romero, a Bishop from El Salvador who dedicated his life to defending the rights of the poor in his country. Though specific to El Salvador, the movements of the church and the politics shown in this film are a near universal theme throughout Latin America. PG

Rabbit Proof Fence: Set in 1931, this story of three AustralianAboriginal girls reveals the heartache involved when children are separated from their families, stripped of their identity, and sent to residential schools. Though it speaks about Australia, this movie gives insight into First Nations issues in Canada and the USA as well. PG

The Coorporation: This gripping documentary depicts the American corporation in the USA as a psychopathic economic, political and social force around the globe. You’ll be shocked by the potential effect of the corporation on our world and future, and see how people with courage, determination and intelligence can work to fight the system. PG

Cry Freedom: Denzel Washington stars in this powerful drama about Black activist Stephen Biko who suffered at the hands of corrupt police as he fought Apartheid in South Africa. PG

Salvador: An Oliver Stone film that brings the viewer into the heart of El Salvador's brutal Civil War through the life of a North American journalist. It's a journey of discovery that refuses to gloss over the horrific, violent situation that plagued this small nation and the N. American politics that made it possible. R

The Constant Gardner: This excellent story about corruption amongst the British High Commission and corporations of pharmaceutical business makes you angry as it exposes you to the injustice suffered by the poor living in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. R

The Interpreter: Nicole Kidman created an entirely new language and learned to speak it for her role opposite Sean Penn in this film about political intrigue and deception inside the United Nations. This exciting thriller shows how easily leaders, with good intentions, can become corrupt when they rise to power. 14A

Men with Guns: The story of a wealthy doctor's discovery of his own country as he leaves a life of urban privilege for a journey into the realities of rural oppression, marginalization and armed struggle. Describes the horrible atrocities that occurred in Southern Mexico and Guatemala during the 1980's. R

El Norte: An excellent movie about a brother and sister from Guatemala who plan to illegally emigrate to the United States. R

Water: Set in India in the 1930's during the rise of the independence struggles against British colonial rule, the film examines the suffering of a group of widows forced into poverty at a temple in the holy city of Varanasi. The Holy Hindu Scriptures state that widows are destined to burn to death on their husband's funeral pyre, marry their husband's brother, or live single in a widow's home until they die. 14A

City of God: This very disturbing movie graphically shows the hopelessness, violence, fear and hatred that are passed on from generation to generation in a favela (government housing project) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. R

Power of One: Another favourite from South Africa, this movie has an amazing soundtrack and tells the story of an English boy who risks everything to help the marginalized tribes of South Africa. PG

Nowhere in Africa: This Oscar-winning drama tells the story of a Jewish family in Germany who emigrates to Kenya shortly before the Second World War and the problems that ensue in their new life. R

Invisible Children: Considered one of the best films made in Colombia in the past 10 years, this film is set in the 1930's in a small Colombian town. The movie tells the story of three Colombian children who go through all kinds of adventures to become invisible. The story is narrated by the protagonist around fifty years later. Rating Unknown