15 Incredible Films Based On Real-Life Tragedies
7. Hotel Rwanda
Based On: The Rwandan Genocide and hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina's efforts to shelter Tutsi refugees.
Hotel Rwanda is one hell of a film. It's been described many times as an African Schindler's List, but to call it that feels somewhat reductive. It's a great movie in its own right and rises on the strength of its amazing performances, powerful script and many brutally intense sequences to deliver a hauntingly powerful and mesmerizing account of one of the worst tragedies in recent history.
Like other such films, Hotel Rwanda is in many ways a story of hope and heroism in the midst of abject horror, but it also does a fantastic job at conveying the horror of the Rwandan genocide and provokes feelings of absolute outrage, since most of the world was aware of the genocide but simply looked away. Most impressively of all, Hotel Rwanda conveys this tragedy so well despite having a PG-13 rating.
Hotel Rwanda remains on the IMDb Top 250 with good reason. It is about as good as dramas about historical tragedies get and it also features a staggering, career-best performance from Don Cheadle in the lead role.