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It illustrates the contrast between the lives of people born in wealthy parts of the world and those unlucky enough to live in a war zone
O ne of the highlights of the day was the screening of The Good Lie . This film is about a group of South Sudanese refugees who are relocated to the United States. It taught us about the Second Sudanese Civil War, in which millions of Sudanese were forced to leave their homes because their villages were torched and their families murdered. In the film we follow a few survivors who are trying to find a safe place to live. Their journey is perilous because of the dangerous rivers they have to cross, and the enemy soldiers who take one of their friends away — they never see him again. Two other children die before they reach the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, 800km from their homes. For more than ten years the refugees stay in this camp — just surviving. Then one day they see their names on the list of the people who are going to be resettled in America. When they arrive, they try to find jobs and settle down. This film is poignant and heartbreaking, yet is also full of elation and relief. It is heartbreaking when the refugees make their way across the desert, yet beautiful when they
find out they are to be resettled. One of the best things about this film is the way it illustrates the contrast between the lives of people born in wealthy parts of the world and those unlucky enough to live in a war zone. It makes you realise how different people’s lives are just across an ocean, and how much others suffer just to survive. The Good Lie makes you think about the Bigger Picture. It is the story of just one group of refugees, but there are millions of people like them who have similar stories to tell. The Good Lie isn’t a film that makes you feel guilty for what you have, it just makes you more aware of the little that others have. And it makes you feel that you have a duty to help refugees like these. We can’t just be oblivious and pretend this stuff doesn’t happen — because it does. And we have to do all we can to help. Pierre Menuet
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