The Good Lie (2014)
Certified:12A
Duration: 110 minutes
Directed by: Philippe Falardeau
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Arnold Oceng, Ger Duany, Emmanuel Jal, Corey Stoll, Sarah Baker, Kuoth Wiel, Femi Oguns, Sharon Conley
KRS Releasing Ltd

Siblings Mamere, Abital and Theo (Peterdeng Mongok, Keiji Jale and Okwar Jale) live in Sudan in the 1980s. When their village is attacked during the Sudanese civil war, the three end up orphans and homeless and thus start a long walk to Ethiopia.

During this dangerous walk, they meet other children like them. Two of these are Jeremiah and Paul (Thon Kueth, Deng Ajuet), who have learned that Ethiopia has become a dangerous place and it would be better to go to Kenya. So the trio join them, but on the way to Kenya, they are attacked by soldiers. One of them gets sick and Theo is captured but gives the others the chance to escape. Mamere becomes the leader of the group and takes the children to a refugee camp where they stay for 13 years.

Now, Mamere, Jeremiah, Paul and Abital (Arnold Oceng, Ger Duany, Emmanuel Jal, Kuoth Wiel) are given the chance by a charity organisation to resettle in the US. Once they get there, they are divided, with Abital being sent to Boston and the others to Kansas.

The young men are to be met by Pamela (Sarah Baker), a charity worker, but she gets replaced by Carrie (Reese Witherspoon), who works at an employment agency. Carrie realises the culture shock these young men are experiencing and in one way or another finds them jobs. She becomes even more involved in their problems when they discover that Theo (Femi Oguns) is now in the camp they have just left. Together, they try to bring him to the US.

The Good Lie wears its heart on its sleeve. The story about the ordeals and what these ‘lost boys of Sudan’ went through is very much designed to make you smile and cry at the same time. Witherspoon gives a solid performance.

Overall the film is laced with a feel-good message that highlights not just the events, but rather brings out the feeling that Hollywood can meet reality and still be believable. Under Canadian Philippe Falardeau’s direction, the film walks a fine tightrope and for most of the time succeeds in bringing a variety of tones, from joyous to sombre, from a sense of loss to hope for the future. The script brings also a fish-out-of-water routine as the refugees try to adapt to the US. The cast provide the film with a sense of wonder, as they start to slowly come out of the trauma they have endured.

Things are kept simple and the film’s script does not complicate matters as it mixes drama and comedy in a seamless fashion. The strength here is the rich story and the largely unknown cast who add to the film’s believeability.