The Good Lie

“Are you not entertained?”-Maximus

There are many movies you can watch and be entertained but The Good Lie is not one of them. It isn’t a film that you will see billed as the best drama or action film of the year. There is not a full all-star cast though there are familiar faces, Reese Witherspoon being the most notable. Such a film would likely fly under the radar for the most part because Witherspoon isn’t the star of the show and for plenty of people the lack of notable faces and star power would be a quick turn off. Those people are missing out. The Good Lie isn’t entertaining, but it is a must see. It’s heartbreaking, moving, and beautiful and it deserves attention for the subject matter. 

The story centers on the Lost Boys of Sudan, children who were orphaned and sought refuge during the Sudanese Civil War that raged from 1987-2005, the film is based on a true story and the adult versions of the Lost Boys Jeremiah and Paul were actual Lost Boys who were part of the program to bring refugees here to America shown in the movie. Because I don’t want to ruin the movie or give anything away I won’t go into detail but it’s one you need to see.

From the first frame to the last I spent the entire 112 minutes blinking rapidly to keep tears at bay. A battle I ultimately lost at the end of the film. This isn’t a made up plot. It’s not just a sad movie. For more than 20,000 children this was a reality, it happened. During the 22 year war roughly 2.5 million people were killed and millions more were displaced from their homes. While the film is split between flashbacks of the boys in Sudan and them in America you get a strong feeling of what life was like struggling to survive on their way to the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, balanced with learning to live in a completely different world here in America.

Every day we take things for granted. Abundant food, running water, family and friends and not worrying that soldiers are going to show up and kill us at any given moment. These are the type of things the boys had to adjust to when they got here. Sometimes in a tiny dose, others in large one’s you see examples of this. The first is watching Paul eat butter on the plane and then try and eat the plastic packaging to the discovery of the telephone, these moments that bring levity to a heavy movie but still hold meaning are in direct contrast to the lives we live.

Though it only happens a few times you can see the boys clinging to the familiar as they see cows on a farm. In a world of constant rushing, abundant things, and worrying about money the boys need something to ground them. Even in just brief moments time spent with some cattle is a great answer. That is what they know, and even we, who were born here and understand this world; cling to what is familiar, what makes us feel safe.

In effort to not ruin the movie I will only say that there is plenty of heartbreak. It isn’t just the life they lived but what they face when they get to America. Because at its heart you see boys who were happy to get to America but they have to leave family and friends behind to do it.

In the end this isn’t a blockbuster but it is a movie that will break your heart, open your eyes, and if you allow it, it will change you for the better.