God Grew Tired of Us (2006)

This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Sudan's Muslim majority in the north brutally attacks the Christian and animist south for its oil. Many were massacred, enslaved and driven from their homes. A group of survivors walked to Ethiopia. In 1991, they were once again forced to flee this time to Kenya. There some in the camp get relocated to America as refugees. The culture shock and the isolation does take a toll on some of the lost boys.This seems to be a simple story to tell. It starts by recounting the lost boys' devastating journey. The culture shock of them trying to understand their new surrounding is funny and endearing. The surprise comes when the boys struggle in the new world. It is the twists from living in the west that is the most fascinating. It's not all happy endings but it is not all sadness either. Life continues on.

God grew tired of us is a line used by one of the lost boys of the Sudan, as he describes the horrible conditions of his homeland. Thousands of refugees traveled by foot over one thousand miles to escape the killing by tribes from the north. It begins at a camp where the boys are surviving, while a lucky few are chosen to fly to America for new lives. The young men are shown in Syracuse, New York and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and culture shock is an understatement as the Africans are introduced to electric lights and refrigerators and modern plumbing. The men do adapt, and even as they struggle to survive, working two and three jobs while attending college, they are a triumph of the human spirit. This is a magnificent film with people who make you stand up and cheer. A solid 9/10.

Christopher Quinn has compiled a wonderful documentary about three Lost Boys of the Sudanese Genocide who immigrate to America to find new lives. He cites the history and how they became the lost boys through the systematic genocide in Sudan and how they migrated to refugee camps first in Ethiopia and second in Kenya. While they are there for years, they form unforgettable bonds with each other and rely on each other as family. When they immigrate to the United States settling in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Syracuse, New York, they must make adjustments and adaptation unlike anything before. They appreciate their new lives and the advantages offered to them without complaint about doing any job no matter what it is but they are not without racking guilt for those thousands left behind and for their families whose fate may not be known. Despite it all, you don't see any tears about their situation but just the guilt that they are lucky and they plan to give back to those back home.

Recently saw a screening of the film. Afterward had the pleasure of meeting and listening to John Dau speak. This film should be shown on TV as well, to enlighten, educate the UNITED STATES, because we can be very ignorant about our knowledge of the outside world.These young boys and men, proved to be so endearing, very bright, hard working people. When one of them commented about someone asking about them living in the forest...he was lovely with his response. For him it was just common sense "No you can not live in the forest, it's impossible" It made me think of what Oprah is currently doing with her school for girls. These young people want the education for the em-betterment of their families and countries. These Lost Boys came here and even though they're putting Ritz Crackers in a coffeemaker w/milk, somehow managed to receive their education (Masters, B.A.).We as a nation, need to really take a serious look at ourselves...and perhaps this film.BRAVO!