Fukunaga in ‘Beasts’ mode with film
“Beasts of No Nation,” a film directed by Oakland native Cary Joji Fukunaga, is not only earning rave reviews, it could be a gamechanger.
A searing war story set in West Africa, “Beasts” is the foray by Netflix into the theatrical movie business. It will be available for streaming on Friday, the same day it opens in select theaters, making it eligible for both an Oscar and an Emmy. Netflix is hoping to exert its influence on the big screen just as it did on television with shows such as “House of Cards” and “Orange Is the New Black.”
Fukunaga, who was in demand after directing the highly lauded first season of HBO’s “True Detective,” said he was initially reluctant to take on the film.
“It wasn’t a no-brainer,” he told the New York Daily News. “… Because I still hold and cherish the experience of movies, it was important that people experience my movies as a different, and more special, experience than watching it at home.
“Then I also started thinking about what it would mean if Netflix was getting behind it, especially if they believed in the film. We talked about this being their first film foray, and they would treat it as a very special first child in a way.”
“Beasts,” which was screened Thursday at the Mill Valley Film Festival, tells the story of Agu (Abraham Attah), a happygo-lucky villager whose childhood is shattered when army troops arrive to squelch a rebellion against the country’s corrupt regime. Agu’s only chance of survival is to fall in with a unit of underage mercenaries, led by the charismatic and cruel Commandant (Idris Elba). Eventually, the boy is promoted from ammo carrier to rifle-toting soldier, leaving his youthful innocence behind.
Fukunaga, 38, graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in history in 1999 before going on to study film at New York University.
FAMILIAR FACES: Several people with Bay Area roots will be popping up on television over the next few days.
On Saturday, Benicia native and San Francisco State grad Austin Scott plays a lead role in the horror film “They Found Hell” (9 p.m., Syfy). Next week, former Pleasanton resident Gabrielle Union returns for Season 3 of the popular drama “Being Mary Jane” (9 p.m. Tuesday, BET), and San Francisco’s Randy Hetrick, the founder of TRX, serves as a judge on the new fitness-themed reality series “Sweat Inc.” (10 p.m. Tuesday, Spike).
Also, keep an eye on San Jose singer-songwriter Tim Atlas, who remains in contention on “The Voice” (8 p.m. Mondays, NBC).