A study of identity, privilege, and disquieting power: The story of Idi Amin

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-2-2007

Publication Title

PsycCRITIQUES-Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books

DOI

10.1037/a0007475

Abstract

Reviewed Work: The Last King of Scotland (2006) director Kevin Macdonald.

Reviewer: Prof. Fayth M. Parks

Reviews the film, The Last King of Scotland directed by Kevin Macdonald (2006). This is an intense film with an outstanding portrayal of Idi Amin, the legendary and infamous president of Uganda. Director Kevin Macdonald mixes fact with fiction in this film adaptation of British author Giles Foden's (1998) best selling novel. The film foregrounds the story of Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan's awakening to the complex and brutal reality that colonial occupation has left as its legacy to Africa. This movie is beautifully filmed on location in Uganda. The texture of urban and rural community life are presented in the film. Macdonald does an exceptional piece of work illustrating the fear and insecurity that became a way of life for Ugandans under Amin's government as thousands of people "disappeared." The character Garrigan awakens to the brutal reality and tries to escape Uganda alive. Idi Amin's dissolution to evil is essential to see in this film. The story captures the imagination and mesmerizes the viewer. Essentially, the evil that transformed Amin's character is wickedness that lives on in the evil deeds of others. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

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PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved

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