In recent years, Netflix has expanded from simply streaming TV shows and movies to making their own. Starting with Lilyhammer, which first premiered in February of 2012, Netflix has had great success with shows such as House of Cards and Orange is the New Black. But now Netflix has ventured into the world of film with smashing success. On October 16th, they released Beasts of No Nation to widespread acclaim. While the film is being shown in select theatres, Netflix made it available for streaming through their service the day of its release. Since then it has been streamed over 3 million times on the site and received a score of 5 stars through customer reviews.

The movie shines light on the horrific life of child soldier Agu in Africa. When Agu’s family is killed by militants, he is forced to flee into the jungle where he struggles to survive until he is found by a group of child soldiers lead by the Commandant (Idris Elba).

Agu is taken in by the Commandant and trained in guerilla warfare with the belief that he will be taken back to his home, but really is going to fight for the Commandant’s cause. Agu befriends Strika, a mute child soldier close to his own age, and while Strika does not talk, the two become close friends as they are sent on various missions together.

The Commandant begins to show favor towards Agu, assigning him and Strika to be his personal bodyguards. He tells Agu how important their mission of liberation is to their nation, and that they must do all that they can to see that mission through, even if he doesn’t agree with it himself. While the Commandant claims that his small army is his family and that he loves them all, this is far from the truth as he soon forces Agu to kill an innocent man and sexually assaults him later on, leaving him scarred.

In order to suppress the pain of the life he has been given, Agu turns to various substances to numb the pain through the film. One of the most haunting scenes in the movie is when Agu is forced to take a hallucinogen before going into a war zone. The contrast between the beautifully colored purple and pink trees he sees on his trip displays his transition from a young imaginative boy to a man thrust into war as the colors fade away and he is surrounded by death.As the movie progresses, Agu slowly becomes colder and delves further into his substance abuse. He is no longer hesitant to kill and becomes one of the more violent of the soldiers around him.

Events take a turn as the Commandant is called to see the Supreme Commander. Upon arrival the Commandant and his group are forced to wait days to see the Supreme Commander before he is demoted. Enraged, the Commandant takes his men and goes rogue, claiming the Supreme Commander as their enemy.

While fleeing from the Supreme Commander’s men, the Commandant’s men come under fire and Strika is shot. Agu tries to carry him as they flee but Strika dies on his back. Devastated by the loss of his only friend, Agu becomes colder than ever. Things quickly worsen for the Commandant’s men as they soon run out of food, water and bullets. With the men outraged by his failure to lead them, they turn on the Commandant and leave him alone at their camp.

The films closes with Agu trying to readjust in a camp for children with no home. Despite the help and encouragement of others, Agu is reluctant to share his past life for fear he will be seen as a monster. While he does not open up to those around him, in the last shot of the movie we see Agu running off to play with the other children in the ocean, giving a glimmer of hope for what may come.

Beasts of No Nation, while not a happy movie is an eye opening one. It is easy to be detached from what goes on in the world, especially things that may be too ghastly for us to comprehend. However, now we are shown the horrors of war through the children forced to fight in it. Idris Elba shines in his best role to date conveying the heartlessness of a man bent on his own personal agenda who is willing to do anything to see it through. What makes the Commandant such an interesting character is that not much is ever revealed about him. You see him through Agu’s eyes, a monster disguised as a savior. It is the true talent of Idris Elba to be able to portray this character in such a way, that despite all that he does, you cannot help but like him. His words carry such heart that you have no choice but to believe them, showing how easily it would be for him to manipulate a child.

Despite Elba’s fantastic performance, Abraham Attah steals the show as Agu. Child actors are not known for their acting capabilities, but Attah outpaces most actors in this film. His portrayal as a child taken from his beloved family and thrown into war is heart breaking and makes you truly care about what happens to him. As he goes from an imaginative child to a war stricken man in a child’s body, you will want him to succeed and find happiness in his life. With a performance like this, Attah has a bright future ahead of him in the world of film.

Beasts of No Nation is a stunning movie that gives a gripping perspective on a heart breaking reality. The cast gives an amazing performance that will leave you astonished. It will be interesting to see where Netflix will go with their movies in the future and if this one will be nominated for an academy award that it most certainly deserves.