The Good Lie
Director: Philippe Falardeau
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Arnold Oceng, Ger Duany
110 mins; Class 12;
KRS Releasing Ltd
Not a day goes by without a news item featuring yet another tragic story of mass migration in the Mediterranean or in Asia, as thousands of people continue to flee war, famine and persecution in search of a better life.
So prevalent are these daily news stories, there is the danger of becoming completely desensitised to the plight of these people.
There have been some interviews in the press which allow us to get to know a handful of individual refugees as they share their stories yet often, these news items feature so many nameless and faceless people it is hard to truly empathise.
The Good Lie goes a little way in resolving that. It is a solid drama based on the Sudanese refugees known as ‘The Lost Boys’.
Over 100,000 children were orphaned and displaced by the horrific civil war in Sudan which began in 1983, many of them travelling thousands of miles across unforgiving landscapes battling against the heat, starvation and constant danger to reach a semblance of safety.
In the late 1990s, a resettlement programme brought around 3,600 of these refugees to safety to the US and the film takes a fictional look at the journey of a handful of them.
When their village is attacked by the northern Sudanese militia killing dozens, the village chief’s children Mamere, Theo and Abital manage to escape, and begin the difficult trek to a refugee camp across the border in Kenya.
They make friends with other refugees along the way, including Jeremiah and Paul.
After finally reaching the camp, the children have to wait years before being given the opportunity to leave and start a new life in Kansas City in the US.
Once there, aided by employment counsellor Carrie Davis (Reese Witherspoon), the refugees try to build a life from their shattered background as they struggle to get to grips with modern comforts which are totally alien to them while negotiating the immense culture shock visited upon them.
Refreshing authenticity and touching emotion
The Good Lie is an inspiring and uplifting movie which is indubitably presented in such a way as to shamelessly tug at the heartstrings.
Yet, there is no denying the power of this story of the triumph of the human spirit. The first half of the movie does an excellent job in recreating the long, dangerous and arduous trek these ‘lost’ children undergo, while the second half tells of their difficulties adjusting to their new world.
Despite wearing its heart very overtly on its sleeve it is never preachy and does allow some levity.
It certainly serves as an eye-opener, giving us viewers, comfortably ensconced in our seats, a little glimpse of the experiences so many thousands of people go through on a daily basis to escape unspeakable horrors.
Ultimately, it is the overall excellence of the ensemble cast that injects the film with its genuine sentiment. While Reese Witherspoon does an excellent and unshowy job as the harried counsellor trying to help, the film belongs to its Sudanese protagonists, made up of a cast of unknowns.
Indeed, the main cast of Arnold Oceng (Mamere), Femi Oguns (Theo), Kuoth Wiel (Abital), Ger Duany (Jeremiah) and Emmanuel Jal (Paul) all have a history as refugees, the latter two as child soldiers.
And they each bring to their roles an air of refreshing authenticity and touching emotion as do the actors who play the younger versions of the characters.
As the stories unfold, each actor effortlessly projects each character’s inner turmoil – their tribulations etched on their tired faces when they finally land in the US; the anguish when Abital is separated from the group; Paul’s volatile behaviour which gets him into trouble and, finally, the guilt that cloaks Mamere (a poignant and heartfelt performance from Oceng) over an unintentional act he carried out as a child and his ultimate redemption, giving the film the ‘good lie’ of the title.