- Kijkwijzer 12
Denis Mukwege, a Congolese doctor, pastor and future Nobel Peace Prize laureate, meets Guy Cadière, a Belgian surgeon and atheist. Despite their differences, they unite for a common purpose: to restore the bodies and dignity of thousands of women who have been used as weapons of war in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
In the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, the men work from a secure compound in a spirit of pure resilience. Mukwege and Cadière – brilliantly played by Isaach de Bankolé and Vincent Macaigne – treat women with chilling histories and broken spirits due to often atrocious sexual violence. As many of them are ostracised from their communities, the women find a temporary home in Panzi Hospital. Director Marie-Hélène Roux depicts this medical microcosm ‘with absolute clarity, warmth and adequate authenticity’, writes Cineuropa.org.