Christopher Dillon Quinn’s documentary “God Grew Weary of Us” tells the story of three men who are often called the “Lost Boys of Sudan”, and their journey from Kenya to America. The documentary, which uses humor and interviews from the boys as well as visual juxtapositions to tell the story of three young men, often called “Lost Boys Of Sudan,” and their transition from Kenya to the United States.
The documentary begins with the natural landscapes of Africa, and the daily life of the Sudanese people. The documentary begins with images of Sudanese houses, food, and people. As the focus shifts, we see images of the war, children in large groups, and harsh conditions of the Saharan Desert. We can see in closeups the desperation of the children who are suddenly forced to live a different life. The audience is left with a feeling of horror as the close-ups reveal the children’s facial expressions and physical conditions. The tone is lightened as we see the images of refugees laughing and smiling before they depart for America. Audiences laugh at images of boys who are curious about their surroundings and shocked by the sudden change. We can clearly see that the boys’ shock is evident without any words as they begin to learn new ways of interacting with objects and people.
The interviews show things that the images can’t convey, like the emotional response to the change by the lost boys. As an example, the boys were interviewed while on the flight to America. The audience can feel sympathy for one of the boys through his narrative. He describes how airline food is different from home-cooked foods. John Bul’s narration on Christmas highlights the differences in cultures between North America and Africa. John Bul asks John about how Americans celebrate Christmas. This makes us laugh because the questions seem so simple, and yet anyone could answer.
In addition, the humor present in the movie also relates to their cultural shock. John and Andrew, while walking outside, saw children ice-skating. Ice skating is not scary to most people. The lost boys are scared to ice-skate because they will look like wounded soldiers in a war. Daniel talked about how the boys asked Daniel if they had a parliament back home in Kakuma. Daniel said that he didn’t think there was time for such a thing. This shows a loneliness in the American culture, which is not so apparent to the audience. The audience can then better imagine what it is like for these boys who live across the globe without any of their family. It is difficult for the boys to live in America and support their brothers in Kenya.
John, Panther, Daniel and others have traveled a great distance since arriving in America. John has reunited his family with him and continues to provide support for them. He also founded a non profit organization to assist others in the same situation. Daniel is a student and was also one of the people who worked on the documentary. Panther has also returned to Africa in order to help even more people.
