Basic Info / 基本情報
| English | 日本語 |
|---|---|
| Director | Cary Joji Fukunaga / キャリー・ジョージ・フクナガ |
| Year | 2015 |
| Running Time | 137 min (2h 17m) |
| Genre | War Drama / 戦争ドラマ |
| Production | Red Crown Productions, Participant Media, Primary Productions |
| Box Office | $90,777 (theatrical – 31 theaters, boycotted by major chains) + Netflix streaming (43M subscribers, exact figures unreleased) |
Synopsis / あらすじ
English (Short Synopsis)
West African fictional country torn by civil war. Boy Agu (Abraham Attah) loses mother and sister fleeing to capital, remaining with father and older brother. Government forces attack village, father and brother killed before Agu’s eyes. Fleeing into jungle, Agu captured by rebel army Native Defense Forces (NDF). Commander (Idris Elba), charismatic rebel leader, makes Agu child soldier. Through military training, combat, violence, Agu gradually transforms from innocent boy to cold soldier. Film questions: How does war steal children’s humanity? Can traumatized children return to ordinary life? What adults’ responsibility for children in war? Unforgettably depicting one boy’s tragedy.
日本語 (簡潔なあらすじ)
西アフリカの某国。内戦の足音が近づくなか、少年アグは家族とささやかな幸せを享受していました。しかし、政府軍の急襲によって平穏は一瞬で崩れ去ります。母と離れ離れになり、目の前で父と兄を処刑されたアグは、一人ジャングルの奥深くへと逃げ込みます。
そこで彼を待ち受けていたのは、カリスマ的な指揮官率いる反政府軍の少年兵大隊でした。死か、それとも武器を取るか。究極の選択を迫られたアグは、生き延びるためにマチェーテ（鉈）を手に取ります。それは、一人の無垢な子供が、血塗られた「獣」へと変貌していく地獄の日々の始まりでした。
Cast & Crew / スタッフ・出演
| Role | English | 日本語 |
|---|---|---|
| Director / 監督 | Cary Joji Fukunaga | キャリー・ジョージ・フクナガ |
| Screenplay / 脚本 | Cary Joji Fukunaga | キャリー・ジョージ・フクナガ |
| Based on | Novel “Beasts of No Nation” (2005) by Uzodinma Iweala | ウゾディンマ・イウェアラの小説『ビースト・オブ・ノー・ネーション』(2005年) |
| Cinematography | Cary Joji Fukunaga | キャリー・ジョージ・フクナガ |
| Editing / 編集 | Mikkel E.G. Nielsen, Pete Beaudreau | ミッケル・E・G・ニールセン、ピート・ボードロー |
| Music / 音楽 | Dan Romer | ダン・ローマー |
| Producers | Cary Fukunaga, Idris Elba, Amy Kaufman, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Riva Marker | キャリー・フクナガ、イドリス・エルバ、エイミー・カウフマン、ダニエラ・タプリン・ランドバーグ、リヴァ・マーカー |
| Cast / 出演 | Abraham Attah (Agu) | アブラハム・アッタ(アグ) |
| Idris Elba (Commandant) | イドリス・エルバ(指揮官) | |
| Emmanuel “Strika” Affadzi (Strika) | エマニュエル・”ストリカ”・アファジ(ストリカ) | |
| Ama K. Abebrese (Amy, rehab counselor) | アマ・K・アベブレス(エイミー、更生カウンセラー) | |
| Kobina Amissah-Sam (Father) | コビナ・アミサー=サム(父) | |
| Francis Weddey (Brother) | フランシス・ウェディ(兄) | |
| Grace Nortey (Old Woman) | グレース・ノーテイ(老女) | |
| Opeyemi Fagbohungbe (2I-C / Second-in-Command) | オペイェミ・ファグボフンベ(副司令官) |
Additional Information / 追加情報
Awards / 受賞歴
- 72nd Venice International Film Festival (2015) – WON: Marcello Mastroianni Award (Best Emerging Actor – Abraham Attah)
- Independent Spirit Awards (2016) – WON: Best Male Lead (Abraham Attah)
- Independent Spirit Awards (2016) – Nominated: Best Feature, Best Director (Fukunaga), Best Supporting Male (Elba), Best Cinematography (Fukunaga)
- Golden Globe Awards (2016) – Nominated: Best Supporting Actor (Idris Elba)
- BAFTA Awards (2016) – Nominated: Best Supporting Actor (Idris Elba)
- Screen Actors Guild Awards (2016) – Nominated: Outstanding Performance by Male Actor in Supporting Role (Elba), Outstanding Performance by Cast in Motion Picture
- National Board of Review (2015) – WON: Breakthrough Performance (Abraham Attah), Freedom of Expression Award
- Critics’ Choice Awards (2016) – Nominated: Best Young Actor/Actress (Attah)
- Academy Awards (2016) – Zero nominations (widely seen as Academy’s rejection of Netflix’s day-and-date release model)
Critical Reception / 批評的評価
- Rotten Tomatoes: 91% (150 reviews) – “Certified Fresh”
- Metacritic: 79/100 (30 critics) – “Generally favorable reviews”
- Critical Consensus: “Sobering, uncompromising, yet still somehow hopeful picture of war’s human cost”
- Praised: Fukunaga’s direction/cinematography, Abraham Attah’s devastating debut performance, Idris Elba’s magnetic villainy, unflinching depiction of child soldier trauma, immersive visual style, Dan Romer’s score
- Criticized: Some felt emotional distance due to relentless grimness, pacing issues, familiar war film tropes, Elba’s character underdeveloped
- Notable Reviews:
- IndieWire: “One of the most beautiful films about ultimate ugliness ever… immersive and profoundly moving”
- Entertainment Weekly: “Stark, beautifully shot drama… deserves to be seen”
- Variety: “Grim, grueling and gripping… Fukunaga’s camerawork is lustrous”
- Time Out: Compared favorably to Elem Klimov’s Come and See (1985)
- Multiple critics cited The Thin Red Line (Terrence Malick) and Apocalypse Now as spiritual predecessors
Box Office Performance / 興行成績
- Production Budget: $6 million
- Netflix Acquisition: $12 million (worldwide rights purchased March 2015)
- Theatrical Release Strategy: Day-and-date (simultaneous theatrical + Netflix streaming) – October 16, 2015
- Theatrical Boycott: AMC, Regal, Cinemark, Carmike (4 largest US chains) refused to screen due to Netflix’s 90-day theatrical window violation
- Limited Theatrical Release: 31 theaters (primarily Landmark Cinemas – 19 locations)
- Opening Weekend (US): $50,699 (31 theaters) – $1,635 per-screen average
- Total Theatrical Gross: $90,777 (US) – considered a box office “bomb” by traditional metrics
- Netflix Streaming: Reached 43 million Netflix subscribers globally on October 16, 2015 (exact viewership figures never released by Netflix)
- Distribution Model Impact:
- First Netflix original film with theatrical component (for Oscar eligibility)
- Disrupted traditional distribution windows, sparking industry-wide debate
- Theater chains called it “merely PR for home video” (NATO statement)
- Fukunaga: “Netflix doesn’t need this to be a blockbuster—they can be riskier with content”
- Netflix: “We are very happy” (refused to release streaming data)
- Oscar Campaign: Netflix mounted “formidable awards season push” with billboards, TV spots – resulted in zero Academy nominations (seen as Academy’s punishment for day-and-date release)
- Criterion Collection: Released on Blu-ray/DVD August 31, 2021 (2K digital master approved by Fukunaga)
Related Review / 関連レビュー
🔗 English Review
・[February 12 – Red Hand Day] Lost Childhood, Found Hell — To Survive as a Beast
🔗 日本語レビュー
・【2月12日 – 子ども兵士使用反対国際デー】奪われた子供時代、見つけた地獄。獣として生きるために
