Virunga

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Wow. I am truly speechless. I had postponed watching this documentary several times until I finally took the time to sit down and give it a go. The term "Virunga" did sound familiar, but apart from that, I was oblivious to any plot details of this wonderfully shot, touching and at times surreal account of heroic personages trying to save the last mountain gorillas whilst preserving the environment they inhabit. It was more than refreshing to see such a well-portrayed polarization of the good and evil visages of human nature, which allows the viewers to distinctly identify with one of the contrasting sides of the tale: not unlike your typical superhero movie, we have the villains and the heroes. Orlando von Einsiedel does a magnificent job of introducing us to a sensible subject often approached by reputed wildlife organizations on the most superficial of levels. We are taken on a journey which accompanies the workings of a few individuals determined to make a change by fighting a seemingly lost battle against overmighty corporations and corrupt government. This unique documentary manages to transmit powerful notions of how our unending and reckless ambitions effectively drive many other species to the brink of extinction, which most people apparently don't care about or don't care about enough to do something about it. Fortunately, the movie focuses on the huge impact a tiny group of creative, resolved and motivated conservationists can have, all the while remaining entirely unbiased, a rare feature in today's non-fiction motion picture canon. My first criterion in judging a movie is whether it provokes any kind of emotional response on my part - in this instance, I felt hope. Hope that we can actually do what we put our minds to and repair some of the damage previously thought irreversible, caused by our incautious and negligent industrial expansion. We share our existence with many creatures on this wonderful planet. Their lives matter too. Add in shocking undercover footage, fantastic editing and beautiful shots of Africa's landscape and you have got yourself a masterpiece. This is why we make films in the first place. Bravo!!!

An immensely moving and thought provoking documentary about a subject that I would understand not many know about, Oscar nominated, Leonardo DiCaprio produced Virunga is a must see film for not only fans of documentary films but the general public and is an incredible examination of the human spirit and those dedicated to making the world a better place. England based filmmaker Orlando von Einsiedel holds back no punches in this Netflix backed looked at the Virunga National Park deep in the wilds of the Congo and the many battles it faces from illegal animal poachers, greedy oil company's and a country with a long and sad history of violent civil wars. Einsiedel and his team of cameraman over a period of years nestled in deep with the men and women dedicated to the cause of preserving this majestic park range and the many animals it harbors, including the dangerously low in numbers Mountain Gorillas, and the film we the viewer get to witness offers us an up close and personal look at wide variety of situations, many of which were clearly dangerous for those on the ground. The landscape surrounding the naturally beautiful space of Virunga is fraught with danger and as Einsiedel's film progresses an appreciation for what troubles plaguing this region become more and more apparent, and the people who operate within these confines become more and more heroic. The humans are the stars here in Einsiedel's tale, from gorilla orphan caretaker Andre Bauma, Belgium prince Emmanuel de Merode operating as the park ranger leader, young reporter Melanie Gouby and one time soldier turned ranger Rodrigue Katembo, Einsiedel captures not only stunningly magnificent scenery and animal footage, but documents of incredible human beings, the type that in amongst a wealth of evil, corrupt cohabitants, shine a light on the good that can be achieved with a kind and loving heart. Virunga is a gut punch of movie, whether it be its documents of civil war, the sadness of animal poaching or the stand out examples of the human spirit, there's a wealth of material here that makes this film one of the year's best. Fantastically captured by Einsiedel and his team, Virunga is also one of the year's most visually unique and whilst it may not be easy viewing, Virunga remains compulsory viewing for anyone and everyone that cares for the world we live in today. 5 cans of Pringles out of 5

Director Orlando von Einsiedel initially chose to make a documentary about the valiant efforts of park rangers in the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo to conserve natural resources. Their work mainly focused on caring for mountain gorillas, four of which were the only such animals held in captivity in the entire world. When hostilities broke out between government forces and the M23 rebel group and a British mining company entered the park to drill for oil, Einsiedel broadened the scope of his documentary, transforming it into a feature-like, suspenseful thriller. One of the heroes of the film is André Bauma, the man in charge of caring for the four gorillas that survived a 2007 gorilla massacre at the hands of poachers, who would kill gorilla parents and kidnap gorilla children, with the intent of selling them for profit. Bauma is shown caring for the gorillas, and they are seen reciprocating the love he extends to them. The saddest moment in the film is when one of the gorillas dies in its cage, perhaps due to the civil war raging outside. Other good guys include Emmanuel de Merode, the chief warden, who is the only foreign national to have been appointed to a government position with judicial powers in the Congo (de Merode is legally a prince in the Belgian nobility). Rodrigue Mugaruka Katembo, the head park ranger, is another enlightened soul who ends up threatened (and later beaten) by anti-conservation elements. SOCO, a British mining company, soon becomes a new antagonist to those seeking to keep Virunga pristine. SOCO is given permission by the Congolese government to see if there's oil in Virunga National Park. A French investigative journalist, Mélanie Gouby, goes undercover and videotapes SOCO contractors bragging that they've made deals with the government as well representatives of the M23 rebel group. At the end of the documentary, the two contractors, according to SOCO, were fired by the company, after they made demeaning comments about Africans and their ability to govern themselves, on Gouby's video. The last third of Virguna is perhaps the most disturbing. Here we see the effect of the rebel offensive on the local Congolese population. Children, in particular, are seen being cared for in a local hospital, after indiscriminate shelling maims many of them. A shantytown that housed thousands of refugees already displaced is seen deserted, after the encroachment of the rebels. We're informed that the M23 rebel movement is a result of the civil war in Rwanda dating back to 1994. I would have liked to have known more as to what motivated them to take up arms against the Congolese government. At the end of the documentary, the M23 forces are very close to the Virunga National Park's position. It's not entirely clear what prevents M23 from taking over the park but it appears that reinforcements arrived to prevent the rebel group from assuming control. While it's admirable that the filmmakers allowed SOCO their side of the story which appeared in the end credits, I would have appreciated a little more about how the oil company would have damaged conservation efforts in the park. One assumes they would, but explaining "how," would have made the film's argument against the company, that much more persuasive. "Virunga" has all the elements of a fascinating documentary. It melds the valiant efforts of pro-conservationists who are opposed by powerful competing interests including a large oil company as well as political actors on both sides of warring factions. The intent of the filmmakers is to educate what's going on in a part of the world, that the average westerner is not familiar with.

Often, films nominated for the Best Full-Length Documentary Oscar are exceptionally brave films where the filmmakers went to insane lengths to tell important stories. Last year, one film was made in the midst of a revolution and the filmmakers could have easily been killed filming the democracy movement. Another film featured the filmmakers confronting folks who'd committed genocide decades ago and actually got them to talk about their hideous crimes. This year, one such brave nominated documentary is "Virunga"--and once again, the folks who made this movie could have easily gotten killed to bring us this important story. "Virunga" is set at a national park by this same name. It's in the Democratic Republic of Congo--a nation which was known as Zaire until recently. The park is important because it's the last habitat of the Mountain Gorilla--and there are only about 700-800 left in the wild and these creatures have just about been wiped out in recent years in nearby Rwanda. Many folks in this film truly love the animals and have dedicated their lives to protecting them. Much of the footage of these folks is quite touching. Unfortunately, the park is also in a country that's been torn apart by civil wars--a series of wars in which over 5,000,000 people have died! But it gets worse...it looks as if there are oil reserves in the park and some outside interests seem willing to do almost anything to get their hands on these oil reserves. According to the film, a company named SOCO is fueling the civil war and encourages the killing off of the gorillas. That's because some think if these gorillas could be wiped out once and for all, then there is no reason to keep this region as a national park and the oil riches could be tapped. As a result, 130 of the park's rangers have been murdered trying to protect these beautiful creatures. The story is quite compelling but what really impressed me is how far the filmmakers went to get the story. They not only filmed the park and its rangers but filmed some very dangerous stuff as well. Various hidden camera interviews were made which confirm that many of the people working for SOCO are offering bribes and exerting pressure by bringing in mercenaries. While this British company may not be behind these actions, the film clearly shows its employees engaging in some evil and exploitive behaviors. Additionally, when the war came to the outskirts of the park, the filmmakers showed some of the action--and placing themselves in a very dangerous situation. The bottom line is that the film is very well made and shows an amazing willingness to go as far as they need to in order to get the story out to the rest of the world. Few outside the region realize just how bad life has become there or how dire the plight is for the gorillas. Because this is the filmmakers' aim, their website is chock full of information as well as suggestions as to what you can do to help. By the way, don't assume this problem of poaching and habitat destruction is limited to the Congo. A few months ago, I was in South Africa and it's one of the richer and more politically stable nations on the continent. While on a photo safari, I stood only inches away from the carcass of a dead rhino--killed by poachers because of some insane notion that rhino horn bestows virility on people using it in folk medicines! What a waste... UPDATE: This film lost to "Citizen Four". I have no idea if this was a good or not, as I haven't yet seen this winning film.

Virunga does a good job of showing the grave difficulties facing conservationists in Africa. Virunga is about a park in the Congo, but the situation is similar in many African countries. War breaks out frequently, violence is commonplace, corruption is rampant. Perhaps even more serious, many people have an economic incentive to plunder the national parks. Many people live in extreme poverty, so poaching wild animals is not merely a good business deal, it may be the difference between starving and surviving. The same is true of exploiting the minerals in the park. Virunga lays out all that in an unflinching way. Where I fault Virunga is that it somewhat makes a muddle of things, confusing various issues, and it has an unrealistic view of what is going on. An example of the first problem is that Virunga gives the impression that the mineral companies are the root of all evil. They are not. They don't poach elephants, for example. That's a different issue. An example of the second problem is that Virunga gives the impression that the mineral companies are the reason there is corruption. In fact, corruption is rampant throughout Africa and indeed much of the rest of the world (try to get your ferry ticket stamped in Greece without paying the clerk a bribe, for example). If Africa had no minerals, it still would be rife with corruption. Despite the flaws, Virunga is a very good movie, well worth watching.