On Screen

DARFUR NOW

Directed by Ted Braun. Featuring Don Cheadle, Hejewa Adam. (PG) 98 min. Opens Nov 9.

Darfur Now is a sobering documentary that tackles the much-disputed genocide occurring in Sudan, a pertinent topic worthy of examination. However, rather than report on the disturbing (and, for a while at least, widely overlooked) actions by Arab militiamen against the black minority in Sudan's Darfur region, director Ted Braun aims his cameras at a few noble individuals who are trying to stop the atrocities.

These subjects include a Darfuri woman who has joined a group of fighters to battle the Janjaweed militia, a Sudanese aid worker, a political activist petitioning in California, a prosecutor responsible for charging Sudanese political figures for breech of international law and actors Don Cheadle and George Clooney, who use their celebrity to publicize the issue. Braun's cameras carefully follow these disparate stories until they dovetail in a conclusion that reunites Clooney with his Batman and Robin co-star, governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The film presents a powerful story that illuminates some pertinent geopolitical issues, but it is unlikely to do much more than preach to the converted. By focusing on attempts to deal with the problems in Darfur rather than the problems themselves, the filmmakers have created a documentary that plays best for those who are already aware of the issues. The content of Darfur Now is touching and relevant, but the entire project feels like the postscript for a movie that doesn't exist.

PHILIP BROWN

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