Popular reviews

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  Review by Jesse Snoddon ★★★½

  "We'll keep walking and see what happens"

  Two boys who were displaced by the Rwandan Civil War become fast friends despite being on opposite sides of the ethnic divide. Munyarangabo (Jeff Rutagengwa), a Tutsi steals a machete and sets out to get revenge by killing the man that brought ruin to his family. Sangwa (Eric Ndorunkundiye), a Hutu, accompanies his friend on the journey but insists they stop at his families house along the way. The stop stretches on longer than promised as Sangwa finds himself torn between an urge to stay with his family, who urges him to avoid friendship with Munyurangabo, and the bonds of friendship forged with his Tutsi friend who his family despises. 

  Munyurangabo is a…

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  Review by Darren Carver-Balsiger ★★★★

  Munyurangabo is an uncomplicated film in presentation, but it is complex in the characters and culture it depicts. Set in Rwanda, the 1994 genocide forms the context of Munyurangabo. The country here has been torn apart, with consequences that remain across the years and down the generations. However, within Munyurangabo, the genocide is just stories and memories. There are no images of death, just powerful words describing them. A poem is directly addressed to the camera in one long take and its a real moment of reflection, of what these people have seen and what they wish for Rwanda's future. There are brutal moments in Munyurangabo, which is a story of two friends travelling so they can kill a man.…

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  Review by shookone ★★★½

  The US-Rwandan MUNYURANGABO - winning awards in Amiens, Mexico City and the AFI Fest - tells the story of two children, a Tutsi and a Hutu, who set out to find their family in a brittle and authentic way. The red, bone-dry earth is the main character in the almost documentary drama - a drama of everyday life that the film begins to tell as he slowly matures into a poetic, weighty poem. very strenuous and extremely interesting, the debut film by Lee Isaac Chung, becoming a household name 15 years later with MINARI.

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  Review by ˗ˏˋ suspirliam ˊˎ˗ ★★★½

  after watching the minari trailer i had to check this out and i can confirm that it’s a pretty decent debut from lee isaac chung! it’s powerful, beautifully shot and has managed to make me even more excited for his upcoming masterpiece!!!

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  Review by Alex ★★★★

  Lee Isaac Chung, now well known for last year's excellent Minari, is a Korean-American filmmaker who decided to take on a tale of two young boy's friendship in post-genocide Rwanda. Where Minari was intensely personal, here Chung must pull from the deepest reservoirs of empathy to truly capture what these young men were battling with.

  Munyurangabo or Ngabo (Jeff Rutagengwa) and Sangwa (Eric Ndorunkundiye) are close friends from two opposing ethnic groups. The pair go together to Sangwa's home village on their way to exacting revenge for Ngabo's parents, killed in the genocide. A brief stopover becomes days, as Sangwa's parents make the most of their son's return, despite his unwelcome guest. Mistrust, resentment and deep-seated feuds drive their friendship…

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  Review by Jeffrey Overstreet ★★★★½

  I showed this film to the Glen Workshop's Explorer's Track seminar today, and everyone seemed impressed. I know I was... again. Then, surprising the class, I brought director Lee Isaac Chung up on the screen for a live, 30-minute Q&A. Which was so awesome.

  9 Words or Less: Essential filmmaking with only the filmmaking essentials. Heavy wisdom.

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  Review by maneleeo ★★★½

  It's great to see from where directors started. This is not at all what I was expecting from Lee Isaac Chung, but it was also what makes sense. He has this sensibility and finds beauty on small things, like growing up. It's splendid.

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  Review by Julian (The Film Seeker) ★★★

  Imagine the absolute shock on my face when, in searching for a Rwandan film to watch, I came across Munyurangabo, directed by none other than Lee Isaac Chung. You'd think a story as small-scale and clearly autobiographical as Minari would be its director's first foray behind the camera, but no. As it turns out, Chung has spent ample time in Rwanda mentoring young filmmakers, and that is where his own directorial debut ended up coming together. What we end up with is an admirable effort that still very much feels like a first swing.

  As with many international films made in countries wrought with the pain of unjustifiable horror, Munyurangabo uses the rippling aftermath of the Rwandan genocide and the…

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  Review by ArthouseSchmarthouse ★★★★

  7
  MUBI

  Munyurangabo is interesting and important for a number of reasons: firstly, as a film which deals with the tragic aftermath of the Rwandan genocide; secondly the fact that it was shot entirely on location in Rwanda, in the native language of Kinyarwanda and featuring a cast of nonprofessional Rwandan actors; and finally, as the directorial feature debut of Lee Isaac Chung, who just over a decade later would be garnering Oscar nominations for the fantastic Minari.

  The film is centered around the friendship between Munyurangabo (Jeff Rutagengwa) and Sangwa (Eric Ndorunkundiye), teenage boys from different tribes. Munyurangabo is on a mission to track down and kill the man who murdered his father during the genocide 15 years before.…

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  Review by I. Simon ★★★★

  It really shouldn’t have taken 13 years for Lee Isaac Chung to get exposure, as he had more than a fair amount of talent from the start if this is anything to go by. In fact, one can even see glimpses here of what would eventually lead to MINARI.

  Here’s hoping Chung can spend the next 13 years (and beyond that) making whatever he wants.

  (For those who are curious, I watched this on Kanopy. It’s currently available on there and Hoopla, but if you don’t have access to either of those, it’s also free on Tubi, though likely with ads.)

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  Review by Neeka B ★★★½ 2

  scavenger hunt #67 || October 2020
  Watch a movie with less than 1000 letterboxd reviews (HARD MODE: less than 500)

  HARD MODE: activated

  1. I really liked this, I found it very moving, powerful and beautiful
  2. I'm excited to see what Lee Isaac Chung does with Minari and whatever other films he decides to make
  3. The poem, while slightly odd and took the viewer away from the plot, was authentic, emotional and compelling. and I'd read a collection from that poet
  4. I think this deserves more watches. Recommended.

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  Review by Jeffrey Overstreet ★★★★½ 1

  A machete.
  A wall that needs repair.
  A field that needs tilling.
  A yellow water jug.