A moving documentary about forgiveness on a national level, Grace Phan's Where the Sun Rises tells the story of Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao, a former militant who became the first president of East Timor in 2002 (since filming, Gusmao has gone on to become the nation's first prime minister). In the 1970s, Gusmao was involved in peaceful protests against Portuguese colonial rule over Timor, and was later imprisoned for leading a resistance movement during the 1980s and ‘90s against Indonesian occupation. After being released, Gusmao spearheaded a national drive toward reconciliation with pro-Indonesia West Timor, while simultaneously working to rebuild his own war-torn East Timor. Where the Sun Rises follows the affable president as he travels through East Timor, meeting up with old allies and friends (including an elderly woman who sheltered—at personal peril—a critically ill Gusmao during the rebellion), as well as people who lost loved ones during the conflict. Gently nudging them all towards letting go of dreams of revenge, Gusmao also reaches out to his former captors and others in West Timor who once made life hell for their independence-minded neighbors. In a world where old grudges between different factions are regularly revived, Gusmao offers a shining example of a more noble approach. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)
Where the Sun Rises
(2006) 56 min. DVD: $325. Seventh Art Releasing. PPR. Volume 23, Issue 6
Where the Sun Rises
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