God Grew Tired of Us (Newmarket Films, 2006)
Subtitled The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan, this award-winning, PG-rated film tells the stories of three Sudanese men who, as chldren, fled the genocide in their country, walked over a thousand miles through difficult terrain and terrible deprivation, first to Ethiopia and finally to a refugee camp in Kenya. After many years in the camp, they were brought to the United States to live.
Steering clear, for the most part, of political issues, the film is simultaneously horrifying, inspiring, and even funny, such as the time one of the boys picked up a bottle of Pepsi and proclaimed, "In Africa we call this Coca-Cola." I'm sure the Coke folks loved that. Two of the boys were resettled in Pittsburgh, so there are some fun shots for Pittsburgers, including one of the good ol' 86B bus. One of the boys—now men—works at Whole Foods, so it's possible I might even have seen him.Having observed the resettlement of many Southeast Asian refugees after the Vietnam War—some with great success, some with little—I was all the more impressed by the boys' ability to adjust to such a radically different culture. It helped greatly, I'm sure, that they had already had a good start at mental and physical development before entering the starving times, and also that there was a school at the refugee camp, so that their English was already quite good when they arrived in America. God Grew Tired of US does a nice job of pointing out negative aspects of American culture without indulging in America-bashing. The men honor their new country without forgetting or dishonoring their homeland.
It is, however, a tad embarrassing to see the men reacting to bikini-clad women on television, and bemused by our Christmas traditions. "Can you tell me about this Santa Claus? In Africa, Christmas is about Jesus being born." And downright heartbreaking to hear them talk about the loneliness here, how people pass each other without greeting, and how neighbors don't know each other. They speak with sincere longing for the community spirit they had in their homeland, on their trek, and in the refugee camp. It reminded me of a friend of Janet's, from Russia, who was happy that in America we don't stand in long lines for little choice in food, but sad that we don't have the mealtime camaraderie common in Russia. Saddest of all, perhaps, was one man's observation—this may have been in the DVD commentary rather than the movie itself—that family is of great importance in the Sudan, but that in America it's very difficult to have children unless you can get someone else to take care of them for you.
Watch the trailer.
