While most Americans sat and watched it on the evening news as they ate their dinner, Paul Rusesabagina watched from out of his hotel in Kigali, Rwanda. He witnessed the aftermath of the massive genocide in Rwanda that left half a million dead in 1994.

Hotel Rwanda is, in many ways, an African Schindler’s List. Paul (Don Cheadle) is the hero who allows hundreds of refugees into his hotel. His evolution is much like that of Schindler’s. At first, he is simply a hotel manager whose primary concern – besides his family – is keeping his hotel running amidst the chaos. When his family comes into danger, because his wife belongs to the opposing tribe, he brings them, and their friends, into his hotel for protection. As tensions increase, so does Paul’s understanding and disgust for what’s going on. The United Nations is keeping out of the bloody conflict, and hundreds of people have nowhere to turn to but to Paul.

Hotel Rwanda ends up painting one of the brightest, most positive pictures of good we’ve seen all year. Paul Rusesabagina is without question my favorite character of the year and it’s refreshingly sweet to see such a good character portrayed so unabashedly positive. It’s worth every moment.

Unfortunately, Paul is not only just keeping his fellow men alive, he is also the only thing keeping this movie alive. I don’t know why, perhaps because the film knows that it is important, but the film slacks off in its storytelling. A lot of the problem seems as if it’s tied to the limits of the true story. Despite that true story, it still manages to get a bit contrived at times, particularly at the very end.

But it’s all worth it. Hotel Rwanda also plays the Schindler’s List role insofar that it brings about an awareness of its history and political situation. It’s a story that deserves to be told about a character who’s worthy to watch. Hotel Rwanda is yet another entry in a year of many near misses – a film that really could have been great, but just fell short.

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