God Grew Tired of Us

God Grew Tired of Us has received some mainstream press attention, owing in part to its success at the 2006 Sundance film festival (it won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award) and the high profiles of executive producer Brad Pitt and narrator Nicole Kidman. But the story is compelling and worthy of attention even without these trappings. Each young man tells his story with compassion, insight, and seemingly infinite patience, able to see past immediate obstacles and frustrations in order to keep faith in the future. Occasionally, one will recall a particular trauma. John, for instance, as one of the oldest survivors in Kenya, was put in charge of a group of some 1200 boys when he was only 13 -- and so found himself organizing the burials of children who didn't make it. He recalls that time with sadness and wonder that he emerged intact. "When I think of it back," he says, "it was so bad anyway. You can never regret that you were born."

Some details seem worthy of more attention than the film grants: For example, the boys in Pittsburgh are instructed by the local police not to go shopping together, as their "large groups" are alarming merchants. While this suggests ignorance on the merchants' part, no one steps up for the Sudanese refugees. And so they speak for themselves, not only in the documentary, but also in large groups, organizing annual conventions of "Lost Boys" in order to keep track of one another and become active in policy and legal debates concerning their treatment in the United States and efforts to stop genocide in Africa. It's an inspirational film, even if it does feel simplistic at times. If nothing else, it will likely move viewers to learn more about the subject.