GOD GREW TIRED OF US: documentary Goodness

site | trailer | Watch-A-Thon movie #10Saw GOD GREW TIRED OF US this afternoon with my sister. An excellent documentary film focused on some inspiring subjects—John, Panther, and Daniel, three of the "Lost Boys," refugee boys who escaped civil war in Sudan to temporary shelter in Ethiopia, and then relief in Kenya, and ultimately, thru the graces of benevolent powers not exactly identified in the film, relocated to the United States. These three men were part of an exodus, and then a refugee camp, of tens of thousands. Fleeing from the violence and persecution in Sudan in the early 1980s, just children, many of whom had seen their families killed before their very eyes, all of them separated from their loved ones, they walked thousands of miles, surviving starvation and thirst, the harsh desert and wildlife, and even bombing attacks, to safety and relief in Kenya. On their march, they encountered thousands of orphans like themselves, and together banded together as brothers and family.

Refugee aid organizations in the U.S.—again, I'm unclear on the exact channels and offices involved—arrange to relocate and help start up lives in America for selected Lost Boys. They are given modest new beginnings, an apartment, three months of welfare, guidance in acquiring a social security card and work visa, and some help adapting to the strange world known as the United States (the scenes in which they encounter the wonders of our push-button automatic, individually wrapped, and disposable society are sweetly comic). The documentary follows these three men as they leave their camp and start their new lives in Pittsburgh and Syracuse.

From humble beginnings... Having been through the worst experiences you can imagine, these three men are dedicated to doing everything they can to make their lives and the lives of their Sudanese brothers and sisters better, taking every opportunity that life in the U.S. will offer them. Their devotion, dignity, drive, and eloquence... It's damn inspiring.

The filmmakers visit and revisit them in the U.S. several times over the course of years, and we find them lonely, half a world away from the family of refugees they'd known since childhood, but still, adapting, learning, and always moving forward. It'll make you think (I know how painful that can be, but it's a good thing)... Take stock... Consider the things you take for granted, all the chances you have that you may not take advantage of.

Made me feel (even more) like a slackerly spud...

Some familiar names appear in the credits in the roles of producers—Dermot Mulrooney, Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman (who also narrates). Caused a little whisper-stir in the audience. Good for them, and great for the film and its distribution, I hope!

Check it out. Currently only playing in the Boston area at the Kendall Square cinema.

Keep on keepin on~