Alcon Entertainment, Black Label Media, Blue Sky Films,
Reese Witherspoon, Corey Stoll, Thad Luckinbill, Sarah Baker, Sharon Conley, Maria Howell, Joshua Mikel, Mike Pniewski
A family of boys and a girl are orphaned in southern Sudan when the war from the north comes to their village. They have been starving for years, and now the village is gone and so are most of their family members. They walk over 700 miles to Kenya to a refugee camp only to suffer more. But when they are selected to go the United States, they are chosen to go to Fargo, and an apartment has been found for the boys, though their sister was sent to Boston with another family causing them great pain. Carrie (Reese WItherspoon) is assigned to find work for them, but she finds a lot more as she begins to learn what these guys have been through and how much suffering there is in the world. This film is based on a true story.
This film has a very “Blind Side” feel to it. Reese Witherspoon excels in this kind of a role as somewhat overwhelmed and befuddled, yet with a great heart and a lot of compassion. The story is very touching, and the things we take for granted would be really strange for people coming from this kind of horrible live. There have been some criticism of this film as it doesn’t tell a lot about the war, and the atrocities that were inflicted on these people, and why they were at war in the first place. I can give them a pass on this, because this is not the story of the war in Sudan, but the story of the refugees and how they managed to survive. This is their story, and I’m sure there are thousands more similar stories. The story is really two parts. The beginning is about their life in Sudan and their attempt at saving their lives. Once they arrive in America, it’s a whole different story as they try to quickly learn and adapt to life here, which is much different. The cinematography is outstanding, the settings are stark, dry, and bare in Sudan, and make you quickly realize how different life is there. The character of these boys, their honor and respect comes through very well, and their misunderstandings and attempts to do what’s right, even without understanding anything about the culture here is touching. But the close relationships of the family themselves is the most stunning part of the story. This is an excellent film, and one that I highly recommend.
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