God Grew Tired of Us: The Story of Lost Boys of Sudan (2007, DVD)

Imagine a decree that states all male children, regardless of age, must be killed. Imagine that one method of choice is to lock large groups of these children in houses and set them on fire. Imagine 2,000,000 people, men, women, and children, have died. Imagine that those males allowed to live must have holes drilled into their testicles to sterilize them.

There is no need to imagine, it is a reality. Surely, it is not happening now or in recent history. Wrong.

The Lost Boys of Sudan
National Geographic Films brings the story of Daniel, Panther, and John to the screen. These three young Sudanese men travel from the Kakuma, Kenya refuge camp to their homes in the United States.

I cried as I watched film footage of 27,000 starving young children making a trek on foot to Ethiopia where they would stay from 1983 to 1991. Separated from their families as the Sudanese Second Civil War takes the lives of those they love, the older boys formed families with the younger children and took on the responsibility of being their caretaker. From 1991 to 1992 these same boys would leave their Ethiopia refugee camp, due to more civil unrest, and head to the Kakuma, Kenya refugee camp. When they arrive the number of survivors had been reduced to 12,000. Their journey had taken them, by foot, over 1000 miles.

This documentary told me about John Bul Dau and his leadership of 1200 children. He learned about death and digging graves. He thought God had grown tired of these children. He was thirteen.

John, Daniel Abul Pach, and Panther Bior are three, of several hundred, chosen to come to the United States. Through this film I was with them when they left the camp and arrived in the United States. I revisited them at two months, one year, and three years. There were several things that remained the same every time I saw them. First and foremost was their pride in their homeland and who they are. Secondly, their confusion with Americans and their lack of friendliness. Another thing that stayed the same was their desire for more education. All three enter college. By documentary end two had graduated, the third still attending.

While their English was heavily accented, I was enthralled with their use of it. These intelligent young men have mastered our language better than several people I know that were born here. Due to the heavy accents, there were subtitles throughout the entire film. After several minutes, though, I was able to understand what they were saying without having to read the bottom of the screen.

Director Christopher Quinn had the right mix of refugee camp and United States footage. The joys and friendships they had while living at Kakuma were highlighted as well as the problems. Their lives in America, learning about electricity, showers, and food, while starting out amusingly enough quickly turned to sadness for those they had left behind. God Grew Tired of Us shows the young men working two or three jobs so they can survive in the United States, yet have enough to send back to Kakuma to help better the lives of the Lost Boys still there. It shows the prejudices and the kindnesses that Americans are capable of. It shows the great emotional and mental stress these men are under.

These men, separated from their families when they were 6 or 7, never lose hope that they will one day find them again. The most touching scene is when, after seventeen years, one of them gets to hug their mother. Another finally gets to go home, after 3 years, to get the woman he left behind and make her his wife.

God Grew Tired of Us: The Story of Lost Boys of Sudan is the most powerful documentary I've seen to date. I cried in sadness, happiness, and anger. I grew to admire these men for who they were and who they are now. I applaud National Geographic Films for creating a documentary that shows the world the tragedies and triumphs of the Lost Boys of Sudan.

I would not recommend this 90 minute documentary for children. The images of the starving children are throughout the film and they bring a harsh reality of the hardship these boys went through into your home. For late teens and adults interested in world affairs this movie will hold your attention long past its ending. I noticed in the credits that Nicole Kidman was the narrator. I don't remember hearing her voice. I was so involved with the Lost Boys all else faded away.

After some research I found that the Sudanese Second Civil War was finally ended with the signing of a Peace Treaty in January 2005. Although the war has supposedly ended, the Kakuma Refugee Camp is still inhabited by those unable to return to their homeland.

Check out CaptainD's Good Movies Write-off for more 4 and 5 star dvds.

This is today's entry into Kathy's EpiWriMo Write-Off