South Sudan has been struggling with violent growing pains since it gained independence in 2011. Traveling is extremely dangerous, but intrepid documentarian Hubert Sauper is as fearless as they come. So he designed a tiny homemade airplane that allowed him to move freely among impoverished villages, gathering candid testimony from people who are understandably skeptical of Westerners. Sauper arranges a wealth of material into a searing indictment of a diseased system, deftly describing the horrific legacy of European colonialism that brought South Sudan to this crucial juncture. If all you know about South Sudan is that George Clooney sometimes mentions it in interviews, you’re in for an eye-opener with this challenging and intelligent film.
