The documentary trades in hope and humor, rather than despair.
Lost Boys of Sudan (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:45
Fresh:43
Rotten:2
Average Rating:7.6/10
Consensus: The Lost boys of Sudan works as both a riveting documentary and scathing indictment of colonialism.
Runtime: 87 mins
Genre: Education/General Interest
Synopsis: LOST BOYS OF SUDAN, directed by San Francisco-based documentary filmmakers Megan Mylan and Jon Shenk, observes the experiences and impressions of two boys from Sudan who were brought to the United... LOST BOYS OF SUDAN, directed by San Francisco-based documentary filmmakers Megan Mylan and Jon Shenk, observes the experiences and impressions of two boys from Sudan who were brought to the United States as part of a resettlement program that took place in 2001. Thousands of people were allowed to immigrate to the United States to escape from the civil war that had plagued Sudan for 20 years, driving many of that country's residents to refugee camps. Peter Dut and Santino Chuor met Mylan and Shank in a refugee camp in Kakuma Kenya, which is where they agreed to make LOST BOYS. The film tracks their passage to the United States, where they settle into lives and jobs in Houston, Texas, and Kansas City, Missouri. It is through their eyes that the film communicates both an idea of what Sudan is like in their memories of home, the differences between the lives they led in Africa and their new lives in the United States, and the simple homesickness and frustration that comes with being transplanted to a totally foreign country. In the end, what comes through is their determination to succeed, adapt, and build a strong foundation in their new country, while never forgetting the people they left behind. [More]
Director: Megan Mylan, Jon Shenk
Director: Megan Mylan, Jon Shenk
Producer: Megan Mylan, Jon Shenk
Reviews for Lost Boys of Sudan
The scenes of Peter and Santino's adjustment to life in Houston -- a garbage disposal does what? -- are at once quotidian, poignant and absurd.
Shot on video, and with the look of a PBS entry, it nevertheless manages to function on several levels -- all of them complex and sophisticated.
Culture shock is hopelessly inadequate to describe the experience of the young subjects of the riveting documentary Lost Boys of Sudan.
In spite of their streets-paved-with-gold expectations, there is no Heaven on Earth
Offers an opportunity to see a good movie and learn something about an issue that has received far too little attention in the U.S. press.
It might help you understand an unfamiliar face walking toward you on the street, and that's a great accomplishment for any film.
The film also doesn't get across the magnitude of the horror unfolding in the Sudan.
[Takes] a fly-on-the-wall approach to capture the small triumphs and personal setbacks these young men face in their new lives.
The people who made Lost Boys of Sudan have a compelling story to tell, but they haven't quite put their fingers on it.
A documentary about two refugees who come to the United States, it offers a detailed look at the hurdles they face but makes no attempt to analyze, explain or advocate changes that would help them.
Lacking that exotic 'foreign' focus and by failing to address the hardships of their early lives, we're left with a routine film about teenagers making mistakes or growing up too fast.
Reveals with remarkable clarity the clash of dreams vs. reality, hope vs. day-to-day despair.
The fact that it's an old story doesn't mean that this new telling of it doesn't, in its rather simple and unaffected way, carry considerable impact.
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