God Grew Tired of Us

Netflix is great because it forces us to watch movies that we really want to watch, but would never actually pick up off the shelf at Blockbuster. Such was the case with the movie that we finally got around to watching last night-- the movie that came in the mail almost a week ago & that we were too afraid to actually pop in the DVD player.

That movie was a documentary called God Grew Tired of Us, about the Lost Boys of Sudan-- an entire generation of boys who literally walked 1,000 miles to flee genocide targeting Christian Sudanese boys under the age of twelve.

Okay, I know it sounds horribly depressing (which is why it took us a week to actually watch it), and I won't say that I didn't do a lot of crying & gasping & shaking my head in disbelief... BUT, it was actually very uplifting & hopeful as well.

The documentary follows a group of Sudanese refugees who are given an opportunity to come to America to make better lives for themselves.

Now, I expected a film about the horrors of genocide (which I got, a bit), but I was also surprised to find a social commentary on America. It was really interesting to see the cultural poverty we have here in the US. The documentary shows how lonely & isolated these African are once they come to The States, how puzzled they are when no one talks to them, and how poor they feel here when it comes to relationships & community.

There is a beautiful & hilarious scene where these boys go to the mall at Christmas time to see Santa Claus & the huge Christmas tree. One boy tells the camera, "I wish someone could explain to me who this Santa Claus is. Is he in the Bible? How does he welcome the birth of Christ?" He is genuinely confused as he says, "This tree is very nice, very beautiful, but I do not understand what it has to do with Christmas." I wish they had filmed some Americans trying to explain Christmas culture to these sweet African boys.

Anyways, it really is a beautiful film-- funny & heartbreaking & fascinating & hopeful. I would definitely recommend it! Put it on your Netflix right now =)

Exploring the Classics

This last week, I watched (for the first time) two of those classic movies that kind of define American film: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and Rebel Without a Cause.
I was so impressed with both movies! So often, I watch classic films and think "That was so good, for it's time", or I have to suspend my criticism or hold my giggles and tell myself, "This movie was made 60 years ago-- of course it's going to seem a bit cheesy or overdone."
But these movies were nothing like that. Both were deep, honest, insightful, and had amazing acting. They were both really entertaining and left me guessing through the whole movie ("Where is this going?"), without disappointing me at the end.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest dealt with life in an insane asylum-- both for those who are insane, and those who have a grasp on reality. The lines get blurred back an forth, and the result is so funny and sweet and saddening all at the same time. Plus, you get to see Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, and Christopher Lloyd all with hair. It's awesome =)

Rebel Without a Cause was even better. It was so honest in the way it dealt with broken suburban families in the 50's (much more American Beauty than Leave it to Beaver), and despite how raw and open it was, it managed to be sweet and innocent with a real sense of truth. I thought it would be glamorizing the tough-guy image (a-la Grease), but it was all about becoming a man and standing up for what's right (not what's cool), as well as coming alongside the lonely & broken. It was really, really good.

**Side Note: One really interesting extra at the end of the DVD was an interview with James Dean where he almost prophesied his own death. It was pretty surreal. I did a little research on each of the main actors in the movie, and they all died young in pretty tragic ways. Very sad.

Next on our Netflix list of classics: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Arsenic and Old Lace, and Some Like it Hot (Marylin Monroe and Tony Curtis & Jack Lemmon dressed in drag? Sign me up).
Any other suggestions?

Slamming my Head Against the Wall

There are a few movies in my life that have left me speechless: Life is Beautiful, Crash... I remember not wanting to talk after seeing a few really amazing films.
After Hot Fuzz, I am also left speechless, but it's more that I lost my ability to speak (I think little bits of my brain leaked out of my ears. Can movies kill brain cells?)
The worst part is: I actually laughed out loud. Several times. ;)

Adaptation

Chris & I just finished watching the movie Adaptation, with Nicholas Cage.
I was left with a "huh" hanging on my lips-- not quite "huh???" or "uh-uh"; and not really "ah-ha", but somewhere in between.
I worked hard & thought hard, and this is what I think I came up with: It seemed like none of the characters in the movie knew what story they were telling-- in their lives, or in their writing. At the end, Merryl Streep's character cries that she wishes she could be born again-- that she could start life over & tell a new story.
It seems like a lot of people get stuck in the middle of their lives, look around & realize that they don't know what story they are trying to tell. And more important than how the story ends, the question to ask is "Is this story worth telling?"
They are all searching for something to be passionate about, something to believe in. One of Nicholas Cage's characters (he plays twin brothers) says at one point, "It's what you love that defines you, not what loves you." I think it's a little bit of both, though.