%%* AwardSnub
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The entire score, but the piece played as the foreigners are evacuated from the hotel, the orphan children arrive and are separated from the nuns and priests who have been caring for them, and the despondent foreigners look back on the Rwandans who must stay behind to await an unknown fate, is utterly haunting.
* CompleteMonster: The [[FauxAffablyEvil ever-smiling and jovial]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Rutaganda Georges Rutaganda]] is at first a man of the Hutu tribe pushing for extreme measures against the Tutsi tribe, openly calling for their persecution and even [[FinalSolution genocide]]. When the [[UsefulNotes/{{Rwanda}} genocide against the Tutsi]] kicks off, Rutaganda does more than just talk. Allying himself with the Hutu forces, Rutaganda participates in the genocide and is seen running a prison camp where the Tutsi innocents will be exterminated, even keeping several women as {{sex slave}}s. Rutaganda also offers to give Paul Rusesabagina some Tutsis as sex slaves, if Rusesabagina allows him to slaughter all the Tutsis at the hotel. When Rusesabagina refuses, Rutaganda advises to take the River Road back to the hotel, saying it's clear. When Rusesabagina drives over the road, he finds it is littered with the bodies of dead Tutsis. When told he cannot possibly exterminate the Tutsi people, Rutaganda merely asks why not, stating "we are halfway there already."
* HarsherInHindsight: Though the film portrays Paul Rusesabagina in a heroic light, survivors of the Rwandan Genocide have alleged that not only did he extort money from refugees for their rooms and food, he also gave a Rwandan Army commander a list of guests (though it should be noted that there are survivors who dispute this, and there's also the fact that Paul probably didn't have much choice about the guest list).
* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments: Paul and Tatiana finding their two young nieces in the refugee camp at the end.
* HomegrownHero: Two of the most prominent characters are a Canadian UN officer and an American reporter, both of whom are at least semi-fictional.
* IronWoobie: Paul himself and his whole family. Especially the son.
* MemeticMutation: "I think if people see this footage, they'll say "oh my God, that's horrible". And then they'll go on eating their dinners." As a summary of how the genocide was shadowed over at the time.
* MoralEventHorizon: Go on, guess.
** A personal one for Gregois comes when he informs the militia of the truckload of Tutsi refugees attempting to flee. Made even worse by the fact that he was not even a fanatic, and had been keeping quiet so he could blackmail Paul.
** Rutaganda started crossing it even before the genocide started by pushing the Hutu militia to kill all Tutsi people. When we see his prison camp and what he did to his Tutsi prisoners we know he's too far gone by now. It's also implied he committed several murders himself.
* {{Narm}}: The ending plays up the clichés for [[TheCavalry a last second rescue]].
* TheWoobie: Any poor Tutsi victim of the bloodthirsty Hutu soldiers and militia men. Paul and his family too.
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