God Grew Tired of Us
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Movie Reviews of God Grew Tired of Us
Movie Review: Truth... A Real Story!! Man Vs Man!! Children in this showing.
Summary: 5 Stars
...many people around the world probably will never comprehend the things these kids endured!!!
Seeing, hearing about, re-enacting, etc... will never even come close to demonstrating the actual tragedy and horror that goes on every day on this planet.
Very sad but very real...
Movie Review: Loved this movie!
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie was a great documentary about these lost boys. Where they have come from and where they are now is remarkable.Movie Review: Compelling, Enlightening Must-See Documentary
Summary: 5 Stars
Having known little about the past and current history of the civil war in Sudan, I was immensely enlightened about the struggle, pain, courage, and determination of the Lost Boys of Sudan, specifically the group of boys this film followed. This wonderfully done documentary reveals the reality these boys went through - from their journey 1000 across the desert into Ethiopia and Kenya, to their difficult adjustment and hard work in America and their road to a brighter future.
This documentary is so poignant and both heartwarming and heartwrenching, and made me more appreciative of my life here in America and more aware of the horrendous experiences of others hurt by war, conflict, and poverty. And while I cried for the suffering of the Lost Boys, I also cried joyful tears for the good they achieved, and their determination, courage, and hard work of these men left me feeling hopeful - for despite the immense physical, mental, and spiritual pain they suffered, these men remained selfless, giving, kind, and never gave up.
Everyone should see the movie, if for nothing else than to increase awareness about the struggles of others and our need to reach out to them.
Movie Review: fine, powerful and informative documentary loaded with emotion
Summary: 5 Stars
God Grew Tired Of Us gives us a sensitive, human portrayal of the incredible strife the people of southern Sudan endured as they fled northern Sudanese troops entering their villages and killing their people. The footage of the Sudanese conflict does not pull any punches--it is quite graphic and I was truly upset by the needless suffering so many countless people faced. The characters in the United Nations refugee camp are easy to empathize with; and the plot of the documentary unfolds at a good pace that held my interest every step of the way. This is an outstanding documentary about a very long war in Sudan that received not enough attention from the United States and other world powers.
The documentary starts off showing the footage of the conflict and then we soon zone into a United Nations refugee camp in Kenya. It is touching to see these young men, now referred to as "the lost boys of Sudan" because they had nothing and no families left, forming makeshift families with deep interpersonal bonds. These young men also dream of finding their relatives who they lost when they had to flee their Sudanese villages very abruptly. Specifically, we meet three young men: Panther, John and Daniel. These young men are selected to live new lives in the USA; and the documentary follows them as they journey to America. We see them use an electric light switch for the very first time and they marvel at the ability of a refrigerator to keep food cold or even frozen. They need to be told how to use the restroom instead of a latrine and they receive much kindness and patience from the charities that help them acclimate to life in America.
Over time (this documentary covers a period of a little more than three years), we see them start to thrive. They can get jobs, go to school, buy cars--but they do complain that juggling all those jobs can be rough! However, they never seem to feel sorry for themselves; rather they display enormous personal strength and I truly admire John, Panther and Daniel.
In addition, with the passage of time the three young men begin to experience ever increasing separation anxiety from their homeland and those they left behind. It moved me greatly to see these young men sending so much money back to the refugee camp in Kenya so that the refugees there could have a better quality of life. One young man, John, finds his parents and his determination to help them financially when they can't even afford clothing is truly exemplary. The moment when he is reunited with his mother at an airport in America after at least twelve years of separation is one of the most emotional I've ever witnessed.
The DVD extras include a commentary and there's a very well done "making of" featurette as well.
Overall, I highly recommend this well done documentary. It greatly enhanced my understanding of the Sudanese War and on a human level it is very moving indeed.
Movie Review: A haunting portrait of war in Sudan
Summary: 4 Stars
God Grew Tired of Us is not dissimilar to POV: Lost Boys of Sudan. Lost Boys came first as a cable special, but God Grew Tired of Us is superior in almost every way. There is much more about the boys' lives in Sudan and especially their harrowing journey to the refugee camps in neighboring countries. The desert-crossing trek was a thousand miles on foot with almost no food and little water. One adolescent described his role in the long esacpe from war as almost an undertaker of sorts. He dug holes for the infants who died of malnutrition while their brothers, themselves children, carried them to a safe haven that came too late.
The most inspiring aspect of the documentary is watching the young Sudanese men develop in the U.S. Despite their many psychological scars, they make the most out of each opportunity. Some work two jobs and go to school. All send money back to African refugee camps. Whereabouts of mothers and siblings are unknown. The fathers of Darfur are dead, victims of the ethnic cleansing which goes on to this very day.
God Grew Tired of Us is a wake-up call to all Americans. We have done a terrible job since World War II of figuring out when to intervene in world affairs and when to keep out. Genocide, by definition, calls for immediate action. It is a travesty that the words "never again" have become hollow with the deaths of two million in Rwanda and Darfur. There are graphic images in the documentary unsuitable for children under twelve, but this is a film that needs to be shown in every school and church in America.