Always in April - History of the Rwandan Genocide | Siempre en abril - Historia del Genocidio en Ruanda || Review and Opinion
Welcome 馃挅 Bienvenidos
It is a drama film that narrates the historical events of the genocide that occurred in Rwanda in 1994, through the life of Agustin Muganza who was a captain of the armed forces in Rwanda of Hutu origin married to a woman belonging to the other Tutsi tribe. These differences of origin marked his destiny at the time of the civil war, which started because one tribe did not agree to be governed by the other tribe and assassinated the president by shooting down his plane and the next day soldiers assassinated the prime minister in her house in front of her children.
The war started in April and lasted 100 days. It was only a few months, but long enough for more than 800,000 people to die. When I started watching the film, I was prepared for what I would see. I knew what difficult things they were going to show, but I wanted to know this part of the story.
Always in April starts with Agustin Muganza played by Idris Elba, working as a teacher in a public school and talking about the past events, in that interaction the students ask him what was his role in the war and what he had to do, leaving him speechless, all this happens in the present for the year 2004 when the film was recorded being televised the following year, so it is an old movie that I just saw this year 2025.
The whole plot is based on the tribulations of Agustin Muganza remembering what happened trying to find answers that, although painful he needed them to move forward, so the story goes in two timelines the first when the war happens in 1994 where he was a captain and lived with his wife and two children, and the current one where he is a teacher and lives with his girlfriend in 2004, but he is still tormented by what he saw did or did not do and to know what happened to his family.
! [Spanish Version]
Es una pel铆cula de drama que narra los sucesos hist贸ricos del genocidio ocurrido en Ruanda en el a帽o 1994, a trav茅s de lo que vivi贸 Agust铆n Muganza quien era un capit谩n de las fuerzas armadas en Ruanda de origen Hutu casado con una mujer perteneciente a la otra tribu tutsis. Estas diferencias de origen marcaron su destino en el momento que surgi贸 la guerra civil, ya que se inicia porque una tribu no estaba de acuerdo con ser gobernados por la otra tribu y asesinan al presidente al derribar su avi贸n y al d铆a siguiente soldados asesinan a la primera ministra en su casa al frente de sus hijos.La guerra se inici贸 en abril y se extendi贸 por 100 d铆as. Fueron pocos meses, pero los suficientes para que murieran m谩s de 800,000 personas. Cuando comenc茅 a ver la pel铆cula, me prepar茅 para lo que ver铆a. Sab铆a que cosas dif铆ciles iban a mostrar, pero quer铆a conocer esta parte de la historia.
Siempre en abril inicia con Agust铆n Muganza interpretado por Idris Elba, trabajando como docente en una escuela p煤blica y hablando sobre los hechos pasados, en esa interacci贸n los alumnos le preguntan cu谩l fue su papel en la guerra y que le toc贸 hacer, dej谩ndolo sin palabras, todo esto sucede en la actualidad para el a帽o 2004 cuando se grab贸 la pel铆cula siendo televisada el a帽o siguiente, por lo que es una pel铆cula vieja que apenas vi este a帽o 2025.
Todo el argumento se basa en las tribulaciones de Agust铆n Muganza al recordar lo que pas贸 intentando encontrar respuestas que, aunque dolorosas las necesitaba para seguir adelante, por eso la historia va en dos l铆neas temporales la primera cuando sucede la guerra en 1994 donde 茅l era capit谩n y viv铆a con su esposa y dos hijos, y la actual donde es maestro y vive con su novia en el 2004, pero sigue atormentado por lo que vio hizo o dej贸 de hacer y por saber qu茅 sucedi贸 con su familia.
Augustin Muganza while exercising his duties as a military man learns of lists of extermination that he must pass on to others to be executed, also that instead of firearms such as pistols, rifles among others the politicians decided to arm his people with white weapons such as machetes, you can imagine how bloody this war was, but Augustin Muganza deep down did not believe that the war would come and that was his biggest mistake, not listening to the fear of his wife, because when he wanted to do something it was too late and the war had broken out, making it difficult for him to escape.
The order was that the tribes would wipe each other out, that no one would survive, neither children nor women, no one. The tribe that survived would be the winner. As I mentioned in the beginning Augustin Muganza and her husband were from different tribes that were in dispute for that reason he entered the list of those who would be executed and when he found out he asked for help to his brother, who was an influential and popular speaker in Rwanda so that he would mobilize and seek refuge for his wife, children, and the wife and son of a fellow soldier and friend, while they were still hiding at home.
Walking the streets in the middle of a war is a bad idea, but sometimes desperation makes people believe that far away they can be saved and they decide to take the risk. Augustin Muganza could never see his family again and what happened to them was told by his brother 10 years later when they met again in the trial they were doing because it was proven that Augustin Muganza's brother was a precursor and inciter of the war because through his work as a broadcaster he influenced the masses, in this part you can clearly see the great responsibility of being a social communicator and the consequences of a bad speech.
Finally, I invite you to watch this movie where you will see values such as friendship and love, as well as how fear and irrational hatred make humans unscrupulous. There are strong scenes like the mass murder of girls in a boarding school, the difficulties that the survivors went through, there are many scenes that range from shocking and strong to subtle and sensitive, I think the direction made a good balance to keep the emotions of the viewers between suspense, drama and also comfort. It is not a movie that will make you cry your eyes out, rather it will leave you breathless and make you reflect, it also has its moments of happiness. This is one of the movies I would watch a second time in the future.
! [Spanish Version]
Desde el principio se puede sentir la angustia y la presi贸n pol铆tica que ten铆an antes de la guerra, sensaci贸n que me fue f谩cil reconocer por los momentos de tensi贸n que he vivido en los 煤ltimos 20 a帽os en mi pa铆s, con la fortuna que no ha pasado a mayores, gracias a Dios.Augustin Muganza mientras ejerce sus funciones como militar se entera de listas de exterminio que debe pasar a otros para que las ejecuten, tambi茅n que en vez de armas de fuego como pistolas, fusiles entre otros los pol铆ticos decidieron armar su pueblo con armas blancas como los machetes, se imaginaran como fue de sangrienta esta guerra, pero Augustin Muganza en el fondo no cre铆a que la guerra llegara y ese fue su mayor error, no escuchar el temor de su esposa, ya que cuando quiso hacer algo era muy tarde y la guerra hab铆a estallado, dificultando su escape.
La orden era que las tribu se acabar谩n entre s铆, que nadie sobreviviera ni ni帽os ni mujeres, nadie. La tribu que sobreviviera ser铆a la ganadora. Como mencion茅 en el principio Augustin Muganza y su esposo eran de tribus diferentes la que se encontraban en disputa por ese motivo entr贸 en la lista de los que ser铆an ejecutados y al enterarse pidi贸 ayuda a su hermano, que era un locutor influyente y popular en Ruanda para que este se movilizar谩 y buscar谩 refugio para su esposa, hijos, y la esposa e hijo de un compa帽ero y amigo tambi茅n militar, mientras ellos segu铆an escondidos en casa.
Recorrer las calles en plena guerra es una mala idea, pero a veces la desesperaci贸n hace que las personas crean que lejos se podr谩n salvar y deciden arriesgarse. Augustin Muganza nunca m谩s pudo ver a su familia y lo que les sucedi贸 fue contado por su hermano 10 a帽os despu茅s cuando se reencontraron en el juicio que le estaban haciendo porque resulta que se comprob贸 que el hermano de Agust铆n Muganza fue un precursor e incitador de la guerra ya que a trav茅s de su trabajo como locutor influ铆a en la masas, en esta parte se v茅 claramente la gran responsabilidad de ser comunicador social y las consecuencias de un mal discurso.
Para finalizar, los invito a ver esta pel铆cula donde ver谩s valores como la amistad y el amor tambi茅n como el miedo y el odio irracional hacen del humano una ser sin escr煤pulos. Hay escenas fuertes como el asesinato en masas de ni帽as en un internado, las dificultades que pasaron los sobrevivientes, son muchas escenas que van desde lo impactante y fuerte hasta lo sutil y se sensible, considero que la direcci贸n hizo un buen equilibrio para mantener las emociones de los espectadores entre el suspenso, el drama y tambi茅n el consuelo. No es una pel铆cula que te haga llorar a mares, m谩s bien te dejar谩 sin aliento y te pondr谩 a reflexionar, tambi茅n tiene sus momentos de felicidad. Esta es una de las pel铆culas que ver铆a por segunda vez en el futuro.
Cover image created by me with canva Source with resources from imdb