This film is notable for being Netflix's first foray into original fiction films. And it is an excellent first go. The director of the first season of True Detective helms this movie and adds his personal touch. Many of the shots are reminiscent of the dizzying panoramic and birds-eye shots from True Detective. He paints a vicious, uncompromising portrait of the toll of war. The acting is also exceptional. Idris Elba plays the warlord Commandant who leads an army of child soldiers in an unnamed African country. He nails the accent, and he plays the father figure to these orphaned children. But the star is the young Abraham Attah who plays Agu. The movie explores the damaging psychological effects of war on child soldiers. One of the most devastating scenes is one in which the children have difficulty adjusting from the only thing they know: war. Attah is this season's Quvenzhane Wallis--young, fierce, gritty, and starring in a movie that coincidentally also features the word "beasts." Attah is less likely to get an Oscar nomination, but he is deserving of any acting award he can get attention for.
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