Throughout the mid ‘90s, the genocide in Rwanda was a hot topic to say the very least. Coverage of the event was a daily phenomenon on all the major cable news stations. At the same time, many people in the United States knew what was truly going on there.
Above all else, Deborah Scranton and Reid Carolin’s documentary “Earth Made of Glass†not only provides a history lesson into the war that plagued the area during that time, but also shows how the country continues to rebuild, from everyone from the President himself to the people that make up the country.
Excellently sourced, emotional and inspirational, Scranton and Carolin’s tale is a must see, mainly for it’s ability to make an extremely difficult topic both accessible and educational. While there are several moments that may induce tears or feelings of uneasiness, it’s all genuine, passionate and honest.
Jean Pierre Sagahutu is a Rwandan fixer. He repairs video equipment and escorts media personnel from all over the world who come to the area looking to report. He, aside from Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his aide Rose Kabuye are the main subjects of the documentary. With Kagame and Kabuye, you have the historical and governmental aspects of Rwanda put in a crystal clear perspective. With Sagahutu, you see what the average Rwandan must deal with every day. Just because the genocide and war is over, doesn’t mean the country isn’t still coping with its effects. Sagahutu was deeply affected by the genocide and through the course of the film, you’ll see just how much.
Educated beyond his years, Sagahutu vows to stop the cycle of war and prejudice in his family and be the end of the film, it’s obvious his mission will be a successful one. While Rwanda still has serious work ahead of itself to erase the years of death and violence, like Sagahutu, they are positive throughout and want only the best for their country and family.
To see this- the firsthand fight from the point of view of a country and a person stuck in the heart of the disaster- is what makes this documentary so solid. It pulls no punches and never tries to paint a pretty picture. It’s transparency and accuracy are apparent from the beginning of the film and are an indication of the type of work Scranton has done in the past for PBS and other news outlets across the world. In spite of everything she’s done before, this film could end up being the film she’s remembered for most by the end of her career. It’s also proof that Carolin is capable of much more than the dramas he’s produced over the years.
All in all, it’s a documentary that will put you in the shoes of its characters and make you question your own moral fiber. Would you make the same decisions as they? How would you deal with the same problems had they happened to you? By the end of the film, your answers probably won’t be any closer to you than they were when they first popped into your head. As a result, by the end of the film, you’ll admire and respect the people presented here for possessing the courage to act when it could have been easy enough to crumble.
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