Kevin Macdonald
The Last King Of Scotland

LA RECENSIONE

The charm of Forest Whitaker's gaze has a scientific name: it's called Amblyopia, a physical impairment also known as "Lazy Eye." A lazy eye on a vast expanse that was named forest.

In order to achieve the best possible representation of Idi Amin, the tyrant who terrorized Uganda during the tumultuous '70s, Forest Whitaker lived completely immersed in the character even outside of the set until the filming was definitively completed. First, he learned the Swahili language, its distinct tones, and the final result was impressive. He spent three months listening to all the recordings of the era, any documentary; he met and then became friends with anyone even remotely indispensable: the dictator's brother, his sister, the old and dying ministers and generals, and even the current King himself.

In the evenings, he would sit for hours under a large mango tree with the brother of the now-deceased tyrant, listening to the old man tell stories of times gone by. On yet another morning when he woke up after dreaming of being the tyrant, Forest stepped into the shower, imagining he could wash away the tragedy he had fed on and that had now enveloped him. He began to scream, in order to forever drive out the dictator's voice that had taken over him, and thus reclaim his own.

There's nothing wrong with being afraid of dying: it shows that you still have a life worth surviving for.

For his performance in "The Last King Of Scotland," Forest Whitaker won, as best actor of the year, the Oscar, the Bafta award, the Black Reel award dedicated to actors of color, the Boston Society Film Academy award, the Chicago Critics Film Association award, Broadcast Film Critics Association, Chicago Film Critics Association, Dallas Film Critics Association, Florida Film Critics Association, Las Vegas Film Critics, London Film Critics, Los Angeles Film Critics, Vancouver Film Critics, Washington Film Critics, National Society Of Film Critics, Online Film Critics Society.

He won a Golden Globe as best actor in a dramatic film.

Best actor award at the Image film festival.

Special award at the Nation Board of Review as best male performance.

Best actor for the Santa Barbara Film Festival.

The same at the Satellite Awards.

Best actor at the Screen Actors Guild Award and at the Southeast Film Critics Association. Forest Whitaker won everywhere.

The director, a Scot from Glasgow (which, although it’s an unwatchable hole, seems to produce only talents), is strangely interested only in interesting ideas. His previous masterpiece (which I recommend) is called "Touching The Void": in the mid-80s, two young climbers attempted to scale the rocky giant Siula in Peru until they reached its summit. Something anyone had tried to achieve but never completed.

Exactly like Forest Whitaker's acting performance in "The Last King Of Scotland."

Because history is full of wars, but none are alike, nor does any resemble something human.