Trees of Peace Update: The Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda began in April 1994 and resulted in the deaths of almost 1 million people in only three months. A chamber play from the same era is shown in “Trees of Peace.” The story of four ladies from different origins who come together as a sisterhood in the middle of the mayhem is based on actual occurrences.
This weekend, Netflix began streaming the Alanna Brown-directed movie, which has won plaudits and awards from several film festivals around the world. The survival drama is equally deserving of praise. The movie shines a light of hope among the horrors they experienced and reveals the extraordinary spirit of these ladies.
MOVIE INFO
CAST & CREW
- Eliane Umuhire(Annick)
- Charmaine Bingwa(Jeanette)
- Ella Cannon(Peyton)
- Bola Koleosho(Mutesi)
- Tongai Arnold Chirisa
- Alanna Brown(Director)
- Alanna Brown(Screenwriter)
- Ron Ray(Producer)
- Barry Levine(Producer)
- Mike Bundle(Producer)
- Brian Baniqued(Producer)
- Jeff Spiegel(Producer)
- Vicky Petela(Producer)
- Alanna Brown(Producer)
PLOT- Of Trees of Peace
When death knocks on four Rwandan women in 1994, they turn to one another for support. Their tale is told in Alanna Brown’s “Trees of Peace.”
Four women are forced to fight for their lives in a storage cellar beneath a kitchen in Rwanda ravaged by violence, murder, and ruin. When faced with genocide, characters like Annick (Eliane Umuhire), Jeanette (Charmaine Bingwa), Peyton (Ella Cannon), and Mutesi (Bola Koleosho) encouraged their audiences to hold on to hope and the threads of resistance. Annick begins the film by reading from her notebook as she describes the days she spent in the cellar. As she transports us to Rwanda in 1994, she says, “I can feel my spirit longing for the slumber.”
In the basement storage of her home, Annick meets Mutesi, a Tutsi lady, Peyton, a white American traveling to Rwanda on a mission akin to the Peace Corps, and Jeanette, a nun. The only time the audience gets a break from the women for the next 98 minutes is when Francois, Annick’s husband, opens the basement door to give ration supplies.
Despite mostly using medium close-up shots, the camera technique never gets boring for the spectator because of the group’s performances. Although the narrative moves along well, as time passes in the basement, a sense of detachment with the characters develops as their character arcs and speech devolve into clichés.
Annick is carrying life in her womb even though death hangs over all the other women in the basement, and such contrasts, although evident, are endearing. However, there isn’t much for the audience to interact with.
All four of the ladies disclose their struggles at the outset; some had experienced miscarriages, while others have experienced rape or had to deal with their parents’ conflict. These women appear to be sisters since suffering is a part of every woman’s experience. Such emotional breakdown is monologic and contributes to the plot’s dreariness.
Trees of Peace is currently streaming on Netflix
