‘The Good Lie’

Reminiscent of Chinua Achebe’s epic novel ‘Things Fall Apart’, ‘The Good Lie’ is going to draw out some controversy, especially when seen within the African context.

It touches on the epicentre of what it feels like to be in a civil war, to flee home in search of a better life (which happens to be America, in this case) and to watch your loved ones die right before your eyes in order to save you. A tale that is possibly relatable to those who were in exile during the apartheid era.

Starring former Sudanese refugees who have relived their personal tragedies, Arnold Oceng, Ger Duany, Emmanuel Jal and Kuoth Wiel exhibit their brilliant acting skills alongside Reese Witherspoon in this palpable tale of love, loss and life.

Brutally forced to leave home by walking towards the border of Kenya over 1 200 km away, ‘The Good Lie’ circles around four Sudanese friends and family who are later flown to America where they have to discover the ‘modern’ way of living for themselves.

In this new and exotic world, they are exposed to vehicles as a means of transportation (although they prefer to walk from one destination to another, despite the distance), electricity, which they were not accustomed to in the past, and a green, lush environment.

Using the skills they have cultivated throughout their lives, they must learn how to adapt to an environment that requires them to acclimatise as quickly as they can in order to survive.

Does this paint a picture that Africans were not technologically advanced? Perhaps. But their sense of understanding between each other is something that the Americans are eager to learn from – a situation that benefits both parties.

Meeting someone from Africa in a place other than their home continent creates a bond that one cannot always understand, yet it is there. And this is what the four Sudanese refugees experience.

The life they had before the war, however, is short-lived as witnessing four minutes of contentment in a village does not fully represent the true reality of life at home. Where are the lessons or values parents used to pass on to their children? How about some proverbs or prophetic words to assist these children for the difficult journey they are going to tackle in the future?

A scene here and there about villagers walking through the veld despite in the sweltering heat of the sun, or watching young children picking up a beetle and carefully observing it is nice, but not good enough.

It would have been interesting to witness the Sudanese cultures and morals in detail before the war completely disintegrated their community, as it is always an interesting journey to undertake when learning about cultures other than your own.

The depressing war-stricken image of Africa that seems to be displayed throughout the movie is quite unfair, because this seems to be the focus these days.

Anyone watching ‘The Good Lie’ wouldn’t think that skyscrapers or even happiness existed in Africa. For some odd reason, it is the stereotypical fantasy that many seem to be riding on – the idea that Africans coming from the village are not ‘skilled enough’ to work in a restaurant or Africans are only supposed to be reduced to menial jobs.

If the images of war, famine, hunger and drought have any chance of being disassociated with the continent in its entirety, maybe we can get somewhere. But for now, expect to be heavily offended.

‘The Good Lie’ will be coming to your television screens soon.