Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Trees of Peace’ on Netflix, A Beautiful Movie About The resilience of Rwandan Women

In the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide, women were at the forefront of the country’s rehabilitation and have since become the a beacon for women in government as the country with the largest number of women in government in the world. Based on true events, writer and director Alanna Brown fictionalized a story about women forging unexpected connections during this tumultuous time. The 2021 film lands on Netflix today.

TREES OF PEACE: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: In the midst of the 1994 Rwandan genocide that pitted Hutu and Tutsi sects against one another and killed over 1 million people, four women of different walks of life hide in an underground crawlspace. The women — one moderate Hutu, one Tutsi, one nun, and one American Peace Corps-type visitor — battle each other, question one another’s beliefs, and ultimately form a strong bond as they remain captive for 80-some days.

What Will It Remind You Of?: You can think of Trees of Peace as the flip side of Hotel Rwanda — the 2004 film centered on a Hutu man hiding refugees in his hotel, while this 2021 film focuses on those hiding inside.

Performance Worth Watching: Trees of Peace boasts a strong ensemble cast, but Bola Koleosho as the hot-headed Tutsi girl Mutesi stands out as the most dynamic. She is programmed to hate Annick, the moderate Hutu, blaming her and her people for the genocide despite Annick showering her with love and acceptance. In one particular scene where she spitefully and ravenously eats more than her share of the rations, Koleosho commands the screen and pushes buttons that we didn’t even know existed.

Memorable Dialogue: “I don’t want to die with this anger,” Mutesi says to Annick at a turning point in their friendship that finally allows Mutesi to accept that people and situations are not always balck-and-white.

Sex and Skin: None.

Our Take: For how devastating the Rwandan genocide was, there has not been much mainstream art telling the stories of those we lost and the survivors alike. At its core, Trees of Peace is a love letter to the resilience of the Rwandan women who found ways to not only survive, but to rebuild their countries from the ashes. The film can be harrowing and tough to watch at times — especially in moments where the four women can hear others being executed outside of the walls of their hiding place, and have to stifle their cries — but the film is better for including these realistic scenes.

All four performances are superb, and the characters are written with believable and heartbreaking character arcs. Peyton (Ella Cannon) is an American visiting with a Peace Corps-style group who is looking to atone for past sins; Jeannette (Charmaine Bingwa) is a nun whose steadfast belief in Christ is challenged over and over again; Annick (Eliane Umuhire) is a pregnant Hutu woman whose house they are all hiding in with the aid of her husband; and Mutesi (Bola Koleosho) is a young, rightfully angry Tutsi girl who blames the Hutus for the violence. Each one has reasons to doubt and distrust the others, but the magic of the film lies in the conversations they have with one another that allow them to see beyond just the characters they present themselves as.

Written and directed by Alanna Brown, who also wrote on the television show Blindspotting, the film masterfully conjures up feelings of claustrophobia and dread while balancing it with moments of hope and love. A reluctant, though strong, sisterhood forms and the film’s ending cards reveal that women were the lifeblood behind Rwanda’s rehabilitation and continue to be the leaders of the country today — a page that I wish more countries would take from Rwanda’s book.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Trees of Peace is a beautiful story about finding commonalities with perceived enemies and the resilience of the Rwandan women.

Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Vulture, Teen Vogue, Paste Magazine and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.