The Good Lie (2014)

“I have courage but all you have is strength.” Young Mamere

Number of Times Seen – 1 (26 Nov 2019)

Brief Synopsis – Four Sudanese refugees travel to America to find work but must deal with the culture shock that is so different from what they are accustomed to.

My Take on it – This is a film that I came across by accident and knew absolutely nothing about before watching it.

The premise of the film is quite fascinating and they do a great job of telling this story in two parts and locations that are both quite poignant to watch.

They allow us to get a clear understanding of how these refugees lived their lives both while trying to find asylum in Africa om the killing and how they could potentially become assimilated into American society.

The cast is largely unknown and they all come across quite realistically as these characters trying to adjust to a new way of life.

The addition of Reese Witherspoon and Corey Stahl into the film in supporting roles helps raise the credibility of the story being told, but neither is the main focus of the film.

The cinematography of the film is astounding to look at especially during the Africa scenes since it allows us to get an idea of what kind of vast wastelands there are around these situations.

The message of the film about dealing with the emotional repercussions of split second decisions and how each person has a certain destiny in life is presented really well here and helps make things even more powerful to take in.

The overall idea of help on a micro level is shown quite well and allow sus to see how many volunteers there are in the world helping out people like this.

Bottom Line – Great film that is able to tell both parts of this story in a very poignant way that helps the viewer get a clear understanding of everything that transpires. The cast is great and is led by the unknown actors playing the Refugees. Witherspoon and Stohl help the story feel more credible with their appearances but they are not the focus of things at all. The cinematography during the African scenes is a wonder to watch because it lets us see the vast areas of that country during the trek of these characters. The film allows us to see how even help on a micro level is better than no help at all. The themes and message of this film about destiny and how the split second decisions we make can change our lives for the better or worse shine through and help make this story even more powerful to watch. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Despite good reviews and star backing, Warner Brothers only opened the film in five hundred theaters with minimal publicity. Not surprisingly, the film did little business. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (8/10)