The Mercy of the Jungle

The Rwandan genocide of 1994, with Hutus killing Tutsis, had a long lingering effect, resulting for one in the Second Congo War of 1998. It is against this background that Rwandan director Joël Karekezi situates the events of this war drama. Though that war cost almost 5 million lives, he does not show any gory violence, but he tells a story of two men getting to know each other under extremely harsh circumstances. It is essentially a story of brotherhood.

After war breaks out in Congo, a battalion of Rwandan soldiers, including Sergeant Xavier and Private Faustin, set out for Congo to hunt down Hutu rebels. During a night-time raid in the jungle, Xavier and Faustin are accidentally separated from their battalion. They decide to move further west to find their comrades. A life-threatening journey, especially as Congolese militias are on their trail. Awarded at the Ouagadougou film festival and more.