Namely, this is a wonderful neo-colonialist film which likes to stress the role of the UN in mediating world affairs, whilst acknowledging that the reality all boils down to a couple of white Americans making choices. Sean Penn is a white New York cop. Nicole Kidman is a white American interpreter who spent most of her childhood years in Motobo, a fictional country. Obviously growing up in a fictional country warps your brain, which is why she keeps doing stupid “woman in peril” type stuff here. But the key point is that this film is about these white people: when it says it is actually about Motobo. To such a degree that any of the characters with significant speaking roles are white.
This may well be an accurate reflection of the way of the world. It may also suggest why plenty of African countries feel the UN is not exactly on their side. Whatever. Sidney Pollock’s film is a plea for us to take the UN seriously in what are dark days in the States for the UN. But he does want his cake and eat it: because the UN he shows is no UN at all, It is rather the Americans in the UN, and the white ones at that, who make all the decisions.
Even the baddie is white. Sheesh!