Anyone but me end up hating the wrong guy? (Spoilers)

No, we're not supposed to feel good at the end.

Just because Nicholas is the main character he doesn't have to be nice. He's a conceited, ignorant fool, who is responsible for the death of the only wholly good character, Dr Junju. Garrigan, in a way, got what he deserved and by getting away in the end he avoids a cathartic, or even worse, martyr's death. He's Europe. Always trying to meddle, with a much too high sense of selfimportance and no respect for the locals. Somewhat (SOMEWHAT!!) good intentioned but terrible in execution. If he died it would just have underlined Amin's monstrosity and he Nicholas would never have been forced to reflect on what he was doing. Like this he's in everybody's debt and he knows it and has to live with it. I think this is a much more tragic, albeit better ending than if he was just killed off.

Some movies have sad endings. This is one of them.



"I think that God has got a sick sense of humour and when I die I expect to find him laughing."

but I do not know why the powers that be felt they had to make great film about Idi Amin/Uganda as a story about a spoiled white kid.

Perhaps because it is easy to point to dictators from history (Hitler, Amin, etc.) and say with a bit of arrogance how crazy and evil they were, while we pat ourselves on the back for being "good" and unlike them in so many ways.

This movie demonstrates how easy it is to begin with generally good intentions and a few human flaws, but find ourselves on a strikingly similar path as these despots once provided the same enticements...power, prestige, self righteousness, a sense of entitlement, etc.

We are all judge by the same moral compass -- meaning as humans, there are only a few degrees of separation between good and evil. Dr. Garrigan seemed to be so different from Amin in the beginning. In the end, though, he was on his way to becoming just like him. I'm sure moviegoers could see at least a bit of themselves in Garrigan at the start of the movie. This would ultimately allow moviegoers to go on the ride with him emotionally as he descended into a personal abyss. How interesting (from a spiritually symbolic perspective) that he was physically moving away from Uganda (and earth) towards the heavens in that final scene.

-Jane

Uh no, I didn't end up feeling that way but thanks for asking.

I never feel good :(

It's pretty realistic tbh, Westerners *beep* around in a country resulting in native deaths and then get the *beep* out with nothing happening to them. They will then go and act superior when they keep destroying the stability of countries.