Synopsis:  Milton Ochieng’ is a medical student from Kenya, slogging through his second year at Vanderbilt.  He is burdened not just by his studies, but by the recent loss of his parents to AIDS.  After their death, Milton and his brother, Fred, also studying at Vanderbilt, vow to finish the health clinic their father started in their village.  Milton cannot turn his back on the people who sent him to America.  After receiving a scholarship in the United States, neighbors in Lwala come together, in an astonishing display of generosity, and sell their chickens and cows in order to raise the $900 for his plane ticket.  They bid him farewell with only one request: “Just don’t forget us.”  But a year after their father’s death, Milton and Fred are still struggling to open the clinic.  In desperation, they appeal to friends in America for help raising money.  They need tens of thousands of dollars before they can treat even the first patient.  What follows is an extraordinary outpouring of support as thousands of strangers from across the country rally around the beleaguered brothers.  Sons of Lwala takes us along on the moving journey of two brothers who lose their parents in Africa, but discover a family in America. 

Review: I have mixed emotions about Sons of Lwala.  First, the film tells an interesting story about likeable characters.  That’s a point in the film’s favor.  Second, the story was well told by director Barry Simmons.  That’s another point.    The third point is the backstory of how Simmons learned of the story, quit his job as an on-air TV news reporter, and set out to film the documentary.  All of that is great stuff.  And yet, I left the film with the feeling that more could have been done to make the film even better. 

Maybe it’s unfair, but I went into the film with high hopes.  I had heard good things about Sons of Lwala and I was looking forward to seeing it.  I really enjoyed the film, but it didn’t quit grab me the way that I thought it would. 

The story behind Sons of Lwala is a very emotional story, but the film doesn’t quite convey the depth of emotion that it could have.  I don’t know if director Barry Simmons consciously made the decision to pull back on the emotion or if it just happened.  In either case, I think it was a mistake.  In the end, I felt a little cheated that the film didn’t provide all of the emotion it could have. 

Having said this, I still liked Sons of Lwala.  Others must have liked it too.  The film won the best documentary, independent spirit, and human spirit awards at the Nashville Film Festival.  But even as good as the film was, I can’t help but feel that it could have been even better.

(3.25 out of 5.0)

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