21 March 2007

hilarious and tragic

Both these words, though they seem to contradict each other, accurately describe the powerful film God Grew Tired of Us. If you live in the Philly area, you have just over 24 hours to see it at the Ritz at the Bourse before it leaves. (Sadly, you missed the $6 Wednesday admission.) Wherever you are, we highly recommend seeing this film either in the theater or later on DVD. It's a documentary, but it's far from boring. It does a great job explaining the war in Sudan to those of us who are ignorant of the problems in Africa. It breaks your heart as you imagine what these young boys experienced as they fled the fighting. It makes you laugh deep belly laughs as you watch some of the young men discover butter, escalators, a supermarket, and more. It makes you think deep thoughts as you realize the heavy weight of responsibility felt by the "lost boys" who came to America and lived caught between their desire to return to Africa and the opportunity to help their friends and family by working and being educated in the States. It makes you long for deeper relationships and a stronger sense of community as they observe how individualistic Americans really are and mourn the camaraderie they left behind. It's an excellent film.
In other exciting news, we went to Reading Terminal Market before the movie and bought lots of great cheap produce before indulging in a Termini Bros. cannoli (the vanilla is Becky's favorite). The price is up to $2.50 each, but they are SOOO worth it!

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