Not just a powerful telling of the journey of exiled Sudanese boys, God Grew Tired of Us is also a poignant account of the determination of the human spirit.
Not just a powerful telling of the journey of exiled Sudanese boys, God Grew Tired of Us is also a poignant account of the determination of the human spirit.
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Three young men leave behind a land in chaos to find new lives in a thoroughly different culture in this documentary. As the African nation of Sudan fell into political disarray near the dawn of the 21st century, with unspeakable violence following in its wake, thousands of refugees attempted to flee the country, making their way into Kenya in hopes of earning passage elsewhere. Jon Bul Dau, Daniel Abu Pach, and Panther Bior were three such people who eventually came to the United States, and
filmmaker Christopher Quinn spent four years following them on their journey in a new and unfamiliar land. In God Grew Tired of Us, Quinn documents the young men as they struggle to build new lives for themselves, acquaint themselves with the "American" way of doing things, the difficulties of being black in a primarily white culture, and try to track down the friends and family they were forced to leave behind. God Grew Tired of Us received its North American premier at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival; actor Brad Pitt served as the film's executive producer. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Too often with documentaries, we get only the tears. There is no second act or resolution. Christopher Quinn's God Grew Tired of Us gives us reason to hope about a human catastrophe.
Not as good, nor as complex, as The Lost Boys, but that doesn't make the story of mass annihilation, sprawling refugee camps, the generosity of Americans, and the resilience of a handful of Sudanese survivors any less worthy of telling -- again.
This moving documentary by Christopher Quinn vividly contrasts the material hunger of the third world (on the plane trip over the men devour the condiments included with their airline meal) and the spiritual starvation of the first world.
Leaves much unrecorded and unexplained, though. . . . What about the other boys they live with? And does the film focus on John because he's a spokesman for a cause? . . .
It's an uplifting last act, though not one that comes with solutions to an Africa that seems to cough up one genocide after another. Personal redemption and hope aren't a cure-all, but they do shine a light in the darkness.
The Lost Boys' gratitude for simple things will humble those of us accustomed to comfort and opportunity. Their endurance, ambition, and compassion should inspire us.
A thought-provoking film likely to make moviegoers question their own paths in life even as it involves them in the lives of several of the 'Lost Boys' of Sudan...
God Grew Tired of Us is a better film than Lost Boys of Sudan, focusing on details of the men's lives and shifting fluidly between three distinct "characters": John, Daniel and Panther.
The film's subjects display impressive adaptability, as well as a desire not to forget those they've left behind. The emotional high point is a miraculous reunion between one of the 'Lost Boys' and the mother he'd had no contact with for 17 years.
Christopher Quinn and Tommy Walker made this fine and never simply pleading film, its moving subjects including tall, gentle, tireless, prayerful and humane John Bul Dau.
the so-called 'lost boys' were forced to flee their homes in southern sudan under sentence of death during the civil war there. after seeing their relatives killed and their friends die, after 10 years of wandering and refugee camps, some were relocated to the united states. this is the story of the immigrant
experience of people who had never even seen electricity. fascinating stuff
July 31, 2010
Stella Dallas
Super Reviewer
A Great Film, Having spent most of my life outside the United States, I could somwhat relate to how these guys felt. I remember having been outside the US for 9 years and coming back and going to a grocery store (Publix) and seeing all the choices. To many people here in the Us don't know what it is to do without. Can
you imagine anyone in the US walking a 1000 miles, children and women. I don't think so. See this one please.
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