''The Mercy of the Jungle'' (French: ''La Miséricorde de la Jungle'') is a 2018 internationally co-produced film from Rwandan

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

Joël Karekezi. It tells the story of two Rwandan

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

s separated from their military unit at the beginning of the Second Congo War and their struggle to survive in a hostile jungle environment amidst intense armed conflict. The film's festival debut was at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...

on 8 September 2018 and marks the second feature from Joël Karakezi. The film was selected among TIFF's Discovery series lineup; Stéphane Bak, one of the two leads, was selected as one of eight rising stars at the festival. The film appeared at the

Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur The ''Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur'' (FIFF) is a festival dedicated to French speaking films in Namur, Belgium created in 1986, reflecting francophone diversity, from Europe, Canada and Africa. History The festival is cr ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. On 20 November, it had its Rwandan premiere at the 2018 European Film Festival (EFF) in Kigali. The film won the Golden Stallion at

FESPACO The Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (Festival panafricain du cinéma et de la télévision de Ouagadougou or FESPACO) is a film festival in Burkina Faso, held biennially in Ouagadougou, where the organization is based. It ...

Plot

War-weary Sergeant Xavier (

Marc Zinga Marc Zinga (born 21 October 1984) is a Congolese-Belgian actor, singer and filmmaker. Born in Likasi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zinga moved to Belgium with his family at the age of five. He was one of the lead singers of the group ''The ...

) and fresh recruit Private ''Faustin'' (Bak) are accidentally separated from their Rwandan battalion inside Congolese territory when it is called out suddenly on nighttime raid. They face a lack of water, food, and threats from

malarial fever Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, fatigue (medical), tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In se ...

and jungle wildlife. The two seek to reunite with the battalion by heading westward but must remain wary of interacting with the local population given Congolese antipathy to the

Rwandan Army french: Forces rwandaises de défense sw, Nguvu ya Ulinzi ya Watu wa Rwanda , image = Rwanda Defense Force emblem.png , alt = , caption = , image2 = , alt2 = , caption2 ...

and the presence of irregular rebel factions. At first the older Xavier is gruff and demanding toward the young private ''Faustin'' but a deep bond eventually develops between the two men, especially as ''Faustin'' makes critical contributions toward their survival. The film is interspersed with meditations on the horrors that have befallen the region and wider questions of meaning and mercy in times of war. Xavier is particularly haunted by the atrocities he has both witnessed and committed while Faustin is motivated by the murder of his family and a young wife he wishes to see again. Eventually choosing to impersonate Congolese soldiers themselves, the two manage to fall in with a group of villagers who show them kindness and aid. The movie's various plot threads—pursuing rebels, reunification with the war, and the personal journeys of the two men—converge at the film's conclusion.

Cast

as Sergeant Xavier * Stéphane Bak as Private Faustin *Ibrahim Ahmed as rebel leader Mukunzi *

Kantarama Gahigiri Kantarama Gahigiri (born December 13, 1976) is a Swiss and Rwandan filmmaker. She is best known for her films ''Tapis rouge'', ''Me + U'', ''Lost Angel Less'' and more. She holds master's degrees from the Graduate Institute of International and D ...

as Kazungu * Abby Mukiibi Nkaaga as the Major *

Michael Wawuyo Michael Wawuyo Sr is a Ugandan actor and special effects artist. He is notable for his big screen roles on ''Last King of Scotland'', '' Kony: Order from Above'', '' The Only Son'', ''Sometimes in April'', '' The Mercy of the Jungle'' and small s ...

as the Village Chief

Production

''The Mercy of the Jungle'' was produced in

by Aurélien Bodinaux through Neon Rouge Productions. Bodinaux, Karekezi, and Casey Schroen are credited with the screenplay. Tact Productions from France and Perfect Shot Films from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

are listed as co-producers.

Filming Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to foc ...

took place in

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...

Accolades

References

* * * * * 2018 films Belgian war films Films set in 1998 French war films Rwandan drama films Second Congo War 2010s war films 2010s French-language films 2010s French films {{FESPACO Étalon de Yennenga, state=expanded