God Grew Tired of Us (2006)

Four boys from Sudan embark on a journey to America after years of wandering Sub-Saharan Africa in search of safety.

Directors:

Christopher Dillon Quinn (as Christopher Quinn), Tommy Walker (co-director)

Writer:

Christopher Dillon Quinn (as Christopher Quinn)

Stars:

Panther Bior, John Bul Dau, Nicole Kidman

8 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Panther Bior	...	Himself
John Bul Dau	...	Himself
Nicole Kidman	...	Narrator (voice)
Daniel Abol Pach	...	Himself

Storyline

In 1987, Sudan's Muslim government pronounced death to all males in the Christian south: 27,000 boys fled to Ethiopia on foot. In 1991, they were forced to flee to Kenya; 12,000 survived to live in a U.N. camp in Kakuma. Archival footage documents the 1,000 mile flight; we see life in the camp. We follow three young men who repatriate to the U.S. John Bul Dau goes to Syracuse, and by the film's end, becomes a spokesperson for the Lost Boys and Lost Girls of Sudan; Daniel Abol Pach and Panther Bior go to Pittsburgh. All work several jobs, send money back to the camp, search for relatives lost in the civil war, acclimatize to the U.S., seek an education, and miss their homeland.

---

Genres:

Documentary

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements and some disturbing images

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 January 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

God Grew Tired of Us

Filming Locations:

High Point, North Carolina, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$27,076, 12 January 2007, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$275,736, 23 March 2007

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lost Boys of Sudan, National Geographic Films, Silver Nitrate Pictures

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1 / (high definition)

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Bul Dau, Panther Bior, and Daniel Pach attended the screening of the 2006 Sundance Film Festival with filmmaker Christopher Quinn.

---

Quotes

John Bul Dau: It was as if the last day, as people say in the Bible, that there will be a last day, that Jesus Christ will come, and whatever on Earth will be judged. That was my imagination. I though that God felt tired of people on earth here, felt tired of the bad deeds, the bad thing that we are doing, yet God is watching on us. I thought God got tired of us and he want to finish us. When I think of it back... it was so bad anyway. You can even think of - you can even regret why you were born. Why you ...

---

Connections

Features I'll Be Home for Christmas (1998)

User Reviews

"Toto, we're not in Sudan anymore!"

"The Lost Boys of Sudan": Documentary. Imagine you're a four year old boy. Countrymen, who look just like your very own Father, come into your town, and kill all the men and older boys, rape and kill all the women and girls, including your Mother and Sisters. You were in the fields, tending the goats, and saw it all. Now you – a four year old boy – are being hunted by these countrymen. You gather with other little boys, and set out barefoot, running and walking the wild countryside – hiding during the day, hiking only under the cover of night – when the lions come out – who stalk and kill many of your group. Imagine you somehow survive, and find yourself living in refugee camps run by Americans. You are there the next ten years. This is your home. The other boys, now men, are your Family. One day, YOU are offered a free trip to America – to better your life, make money, and send some of it home to help your surviving family and friends. Take the offer! You grew up in a mud hut on the Sudanese Plain, and suddenly you are welcomed/dropped into America. "Toto, we're not in Sudan anymore." This is a frightening, funny, interesting, frustrating, VERY sad look at Life with Nothing but Struggle. Their daily observations and realizations about this culture make you wince. Often.