Recently, while browsing through movies and shows on Netflix I came across a documentary: Virunga.

With a somewhat cryptic title (for those who aren’t familiar with the Congolese national park) the documentary focuses around the plight of the Congo, both politically, economically, and environmentally. The film follows three park rangers and a french journalist as they work to keep the park safe from the Congolese rebel army, M23, and foreign corporations.

Though it may not appeal to the average viewer, the message inherent within “Virunga” is an important one to say the least. By raising awareness about problems such as the SOCO oil company, which is attempting to drill within Virunga’s largest lake (also home to large populations Congolese who rely on the lake to survive), as well as the rampant poaching which riddles the region, positive change can be made for the people of the Congo.

The main stars of the documentary, however, are a small family of orphaned mountain Gorillas: Maisha, Ndeze, and Ndakasi. The film draws major attention to these extremely endangered gorillas (of which less than 800 exist in the wild today), and outlines the hardships in which their caretakers face in order to keep them safe.

All in all, this is a film well worth watching, and one that definitely helps to explain a few of the causes for Congolese strife.