Rising from Ashes (DVD REVIEW)
Rising from Ashes
DVD Review
by Kam Williams
Rwandan
Postwar Documentary Chronicles Cycling Team Exploits
Over the course of a hundred days in
1994, the East African nation of Rwanda experienced an ethnic
cleansing which consumed the lives of nearly a fifth of the population. The
mass slaughter came as a consequence of a revolt by the majority tribe, the
Hutus, against the Tutsis, a minority which for centuries, with the help of the
country’s European colonizers, had enjoyed a higher social and economic status.
A few years after the cessation of the
civil war, American bike racing legend Jock Boyer was looking for a chance at
redemption in the wake of being paroled after serving time in prison for lewd
behavior. He found that opportunity he needed upon moving to Rwanda at the
suggestion of a close friend.
There, he took on the unenviable
challenge of coaching the national cycling team. And over the next six years he
trained and taught them how to compete on a World-Class level with the hope of
one day qualifying for the Olympics.
That seemingly impossible quest is
the subject of Rising from Ashes, an uplifting, overcoming-the-odds documentary
directed by T.C. Johnstone. Narrated and produced by Forest Whitaker, the film
introduces us to the ragtag crew of raw recruits, including prima donna
Abraham, mischievous Nathan and strongman Nyandwi, whom Jock had to whip into
fighting shape.
But besides athleticism, the
intrepid coach had to worry about his young protégés’ equipment, since they
were riding on quarter century-old, brakeless, wooden bikes ordinarily employed
as taxis or to deliver huge sacks of produce. An even bigger hurdle had to do
with the fact that each was also still suffering from deep, psychological turmoil
caused by the mass slaughter they’d witnessed of a million fellow citizens.
For instance, the team’s star,
Adrien, had lost sixty members of his family, including six brothers and everyone
on his mother’s side of the clan. For that reason, besides salaries, health
care and education, some of the squad’s funds were devoted to addressing their daunting
mental health issues.
An inspirational illustration of how
the Olympics came to serve
as a unifying step in terms of exorcising the demons ever haunting Rwanda’s
grisly killing fields.
Very Good
(3 stars)
Unrated
In English and Kinyarwanda with subtitles
Running time: 80 minutes
Distributor: First
Run Features
DVD Extras: The
Making of Rising from Ashes.
To see a trailer for Rising
from Ashes, visit:
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