![\"GoodLie-1\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/121\/2014\/10\/GoodLie-1.jpg\")
<\/a>\u201cHow long shall it be till the end of these troubles?\u201d<\/p>\nThat\u2019s a quote from the Book of Daniel that\u2019s spoken by a refugee from the Sudanese Civil War in the new movie \u201cThe Good Lie\u201d \u2013 and it accurately reflects the violence and hardship endured by boys and girls there throughout those horrific times.<\/p>\n
During the mid-1980s, more than 100,000 children in Sudan were displaced or orphaned because of the civil war that raged for political and religious reasons. Many of these children only escaped death themselves because they were working with cattle out in the fields at the time soldiers arrived in their villages to murder everyone.<\/p>\n
Such is the case in \u201cThe Good Lie\u201d with the characters Theo, Mamere, their younger sister Abital, and their friends Paul and Jeremiah. Though they\u2019re composite characters, screenwriter Margaret Nagle talked with 1,000 \u201cLost Boys of Sudan\u201d (as they came to be known) in order to portray their plight realistically.<\/p>\n
These five siblings, friends, and others journey a thousand miles by foot, fighting off cougars for food, drinking urine for hydration, and evading soldiers to survive. In the process, they display levels of maturity, resiliency, selflessness, and cohesiveness from which American young people can learn a lot.<\/p>\n
By the time they reach a refugee camp in Kenya, they\u2019ve lost several members of their band of brothers, including Theo who gave himself up to some soldiers in order to avoid them finding the other kids. Mamere bears some responsibility for unintentionally creating the situation which led to Theo\u2019s surrender, and the guilt he feels over it never goes away.<\/p>\n
Though life in the camp is peaceful and the aid workers are kind, everyone gets by on the bare necessities. They also apply for visas to the United States, where they hope to resettle and build new lives. It takes 13 years, but they finally achieve their goal in the year 2000.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re met in Kansas City, Missouri, by Carrie Davis (Reese Witherspoon), whose job it is to find them jobs \u2013 though considering their lack of experience, this proves a challenge. Not all is well even in the U.S., though, because Abital is sent to a different state for bureaucratic reasons. The rest of the story follows the former \u201cLost Boys\u201d and girl as they adjust to life in a land totally different from their own, and even teach Carrie some important lessons about building bonds of genuine friendship.<\/p>\n
The first half-hour of \u201cThe Good Lie\u201d is focused on the young people\u2019s harrowing experiences in Sudan. Though there are images of death and violence, they\u2019re not portrayed too graphically. These scenes also give witness to the presence of evil in the world because seeing innocent children mercilessly gunned down can\u2019t be called anything but evil.<\/p>\n
The tight-knit bonds that form between the kids are also cemented during this time. \u201cWe found strength in sticking together,\u201d they say. And when they get word they\u2019re going to America, the actors (Arnold Oceng as Mamere, Ger Duany as Jeremiah, Emmanuel Jal as Paul, and Kuoth Wiel as Abital) bring a palpable joy to the moment, maybe because they are actually Sudanese who experienced the war personally or via family stories.<\/p>\n
The film\u2019s tone lightens significantly once they arrive at the refugee camp, and even moreso when they get to the United States. I\u2019d say it even veers into \u201cfish out of water\u201d comedy territory \u2013 though I don\u2019t consider that a bad thing. Seeing these young men who have suffered so much being introduced to American staples like McDonald\u2019s and lime green jello reminds us how funny and strange our culture can sometimes be.<\/p>\n
But along with American oddities and culture shock, Mamere, Paul, and Jeremiah also discover wastefulness, such as when a supermarket manager would rather throw out his barely-expired food than give it to the homeless.<\/p>\n
Reese Witherspoon is the movie\u2019s biggest star and conveys a brash charm and sense of exasperation in her role as Carrie. Thankfully, Carrie is not some whitewashed saint of a figure, but rather a force of nature who\u2019s got her own personality flaws to deal with.<\/p>\n
The movie\u2019s title \u201cThe Good Lie\u201d refers to a quote from Mark Twain\u2019s \u201cHuckleberry Finn,\u201d in which Huck tells lies in order to save the life of his black friend Jim. Huck\u2019s contention is that these lies are good because they are saving someone. Mamere relates this to the lie his brother Theo told in order to save him from the enemy soldiers. Justifying lying can be a slippery slope and many contend there is no such thing as a \u201cgood lie.\u201d In the context of the movie, however, it makes sense to a certain degree \u2013 though a later lie is a little more morally problematic. (In order to avoid spoilers, I won\u2019t go into it.)<\/p>\n
As the film\u2019s production notes indicate, this story was a labor of love for screenwriter Nagle, who not only talked with refugees, but also interviewed volunteers, pastors, church leaders, and \u201ceverybody under the sun\u201d who had been involved with the Lost Boys and bringing them to the States. In addition, producer Molly Smith grew up in a family that took in a Lost Boy, so it was a passion project for her as well.<\/p>\n
And producer Brian Grazer said, \u201cAround the time we were making the movie, I brought my kids to an orphanage in Kenya because I wanted them to understand and appreciate the freedoms and privileges they have in their lives. I think that\u2019s one of the things our film speaks to: being grateful and thanking God for what we have. And perhaps to ignite something in us to help where we can, however we can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Overall, the makers of \u201cThe Good Lie\u201d<\/a> have done a service by creating an enlightening and entertaining story grounded in a history with which many people are unfamiliar. See the trailer below.<\/p>\n