by kellie abrahamson kabrahamson1@aol.com
They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but will ladies still want that sparkly babul after they know where it may have come from? That’s the question we’re presented with in Blood Diamond, the Academy Award nominated film about the Sierra Leone civil war and the diamonds that funded the brutal rebel fighters. Blood Diamond is now on DVD.
It’s 1999 and diamond smuggler Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) has found himself in some hot water. After being busted trying to smuggle diamonds into Liberia, Archer ends up in prison where he meets Soloman Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), a fisherman who was forced to work in the diamond fields by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), a rebel group bent on overthrowing the government by any means necessary. Soloman, determined to reunite with his family at any cost, found a rare pink diamond while working the fields and hid it with hopes of finding it and buying his wife and kids back. Archer finds out about the hidden treasure and convinces Soloman to take him to it in exchange for his assistance. The two are accompanied by Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), an American journalist covering the war and investigating the illegal diamond trade.
Meanwhile, an RUF commander (David Harewood) has taken Soloman’s son Dia (Kagiso Kuypers) and has turned him into one of the rebel fighter’s many child soldiers. Brainwashed into fighting for their cause and driven further by drugs, alcohol and a sense of total freedom, the young child soon embraces RUF’s vicious lifestyle, committing countless atrocities and gradually forgetting everything about the life he once knew and the father that is desperately trying to rescue him.
The diamond trade in Africa came under fire at the turn of the century when the light was shined on these so called “conflict” or “blood” diamonds mined in war-torn countries and sold to finance an invading army’s war efforts. In the 1990’s it was estimated that 15% of those produced were being sold to fund these terrorists. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme was established in 2003 to certify the origins of diamonds to ensure they come from sources that are free of conflict. Thanks to this and other polices used to crack down on blood diamonds, in 2004 the World Diamond Council reported that the percentage of stones used to fund terrorism has dropped down to 1%.
Blood Diamond was directed by Edward Zwick and written by Charles Leavitt. The film was nominated for several awards including five Oscars, three Critics Choice Awards and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Drama (DiCaprio). The only bonus features on the DVD are an audio commentary track with Zwick and the film’s trailer.
I must admit that I do have a couple of diamonds in my jewelry box and before seeing this film I never really wondered where they came from. While I’m certain my diamonds are “conflict-free,” you can’t help but feel a smidge guilty about rockin’ the bling-bling after experiencing Blood Diamond, which I have a problem with. The film puts the viewer in a position to automatically hate themselves if they have ever owned a diamond or to feel morally superior if they never have. The message is just too heavy handed. Now, that’s not to say that the film itself is bad, on the contrary. The acting is quite good, particularly from our two leads, and the story is filled with action staples like explosions, close calls and thrilling chases that will keep audiences fully entertained. But, what it really comes down to is: how much brow-beating about your jewelry do you want to take with your entertainment? If it’s as little as possible, then this is probably not the film for you.
Titular diamonds aside, what I did find fascinating was the conflict itself. Being a self-absorbed teenager in the late 90’s, much of what went on in Sierra Leone went right over my head, so this 143 minute history lesson was a real eye-opener. After the film I definitely felt compelled to learn more about the nearly decade-long civil war and the RUF, which, of course, lead to research on other conflicts in Africa. If the film’s main goal was to make more westerners aware of these ongoing atrocities, instead of focusing on the already cleaned-up diamond trade, then I would have taken it to heart more. As it is, Blood Diamond is just a little too preachy about the wrong thing for my taste.
While it did give me a split-second’s pause, Blood Diamond will not have me swear off the stones forever and toss my wedding rings out the window. On the plus side, it has made me more aware of life outside my own little bubble, a commendable feat for any single piece of entertainment. If for no other reason but to get an idea about what happened in Sierra Leone, rent Blood Diamond. It may surprise you to see just how good we’ve got it.
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