The Good Lie - Der Preis der Freiheit

This can be a touching and humorous movie, which has the rare ability to transfer thematic elements from the harrowing and horrific to sugary sweet humor, all in one film. It centers around a group of young Sudanese refugees living in the Kakuma Refugee Camp, in Kenya, who are selected after 13 years at the camp to participate in a relocation program to America, which became known at the time as the "Lost Boys of Sudan". Actually, they will be sponsored and under the auspices of the Faith Based Charities organization once they arrive in the U.S.A..

The first part of the movie can be difficult to watch, as it depicts the horrors of the Sudanese Civil War, and how these surviving children saw their families killed by invading troops. Also, how they trekked nearly 900 miles across the sub-Sahara, under the most dangerous and difficult conditions to reach the Kakuma Camp. The remainder of the film depicts the culture shock awaiting them in Kansas City as they relocate to America.

Reese Witherspoon is superb, as usual, as Carrie Davis, an employment counselor assigned to help the new arrivals find local jobs as soon as possible, but who will also become more involved in their well being. Corey Stoll and Sarah Baker also add well to the mix in supporting roles.

The group of young Sudanese that the film focuses on, are all either actual refugees from the camp, some being child soldiers at one point, or direct descendants of refugees in the camp. Their performances are terrific and there's lots of deadpan humor that emerges from their characters. The group includes Arnold Oceng, as Mamere, Ger Duany, as Jeremiah, Emmanuel Jal, as Paul, and Kuoth Weil, as Abital.

The film was directed by Canadian filmmaker Philippe Falardeau (Monsieur Lazhar), and written by Margaret Nagle.

By the way, there is a well presented documentary on this exact subject called "Lost Boys of Sudan", which I viewed in the last year or so, that you may want to check out.

In summary, I thought this movie had heart and was able to illustrate the ravages of war, but then show what can happen when people are given a second chance in life.

"The Good Lie" is a drama movie in which we watch the fight of Sudanese to survive in the start and after how they resettle in America. Especially this movie focuses on a group of Sudanese refugees who arrive in Kansas City, Missouri for a new start.

I liked this movie because it is based on true facts and because it shows us what difficulties and obstacles had to pass all these people in order to just feel safe. I liked very much the cinematography of this movie and also the direction of it, which made by Philippe Falardeau. Another thing that it has to be mentioned is the difference between the western culture and the African, and how simple and more beautiful can be your life without having all these conveniences that we have nowadays. I have also to admit that the interpretation of Reese Witherspoon was very good. Equally good was also the interpretation of Arnold Oceng who played a Sudanese refuge called Mamere.

Finally I believe that "The Good Lie" is a very good movie and worth watching because it is a lesson of life. This movie can make you understand very good how some people are very lucky in life without knowing it.

This is one of those films that I wish they had made 20 years ago when this project began. I knew about the "lost boys" because I saw something about them on the television show 7th Heaven. It is really a sad state of affairs when you have to find out about the relocation on Sudanese refugees to the United States from a TV show (smh). The story begins with the back story of a group of children that survive a brutal attack on their village by rebel soldiers. The understanding of the back story is essential in order to understand the title of the film. The children spend many years in a refugee camp until one day the group is informed that they will be relocated to America, which is all they have ever wanted. Mamere (Arnold Oceng), Jeremiah (Ger Duang), Paul (Emmanuel Jal) and Abital (Kuoth Wiel) all arrive in the U.S. together only to find out that Abital is going to a different state. A lot of the film centers around trying to get everyone back together. Once the men get settled in, there is a bit of brevity just because there are a lot of things that we take for granted that these folks have no idea what their use is. It also demonstrated how ill-informed Americans were to the culture that these men came from. I do have to say that the Americans that were portrayed in this film all had good hearts (for the most part) and it was refreshing to see a film that showcased that level of generosity. Carrie (Reese Witherspoon) is responsible for finding employment for the lost boys and eventually becomes entangled in their lives and their pursuit to reunite with their sister. I have to say that when this film was over I had a new found respect for anyone who comes to America to escape the horrors of war. The lost boys that came to this country did not have it easy although once they got here they took full advantage of the opportunities that this country offers. I think that much too often we all tend to forget that. There has already been some Oscar buzz around this film; I'm not sure that I agree, but I think that it is a story worth telling (especially for our younger generation). Even if you don't make it to the theater, I urge you to put it on you "must rent" list.

I was invited to a screening of this movie and wasn't sure what to expect. The only thing I had heard was a bit of Oscar buzz concerning Reese Witherspoon.

I found the movie very interesting and moving, comical at times, yet sad as well. I was moved to tears multiple times at just the thought of what these children to adults had to endure. For her part, I didn't feel that Witherspoon did much in depth acting at all, much less an Oscar worthy performance. The real emotion was depicted by the Sudanese actors. They are the ones who deserve an award.

I was left wanting more, as some parts of the story were not fully told. Overall, a very good movie and worth seeing.

We saw this movie on the spur of the moment while vacationing in Tel Aviv. I was worried it would be a hokey version of "The Blindside," where the focus of the story is on a white woman helping some underprivileged people of color, but instead it was a captivating, beautifully written story that was both authentic and deeply moving. The film skillfully portrays the enormous difficulty facing the Lost Boys of Sudan as they try to adapt to America while absorbing the unbearable trauma of their childhoods. Reese Witherspoon was a delight, and was surprisingly restrained -- the movie was not all about her. The acting was superb, performed by Sudanese who did a remarkably good job. The writers did a great job of not allowing this story to wander off in to mawkishness or sentimentality. There is no attempt to tie it all up in a neat bundle, yet it's ultimately uplifting. It's a great film that I have continually recommended to friends.