Independent Lens

Pushing The Elephant

When civil war came to Rose's Congolese village, her harrowing experience included the nighttime arrest of her entire family, the execution of her husband and grim negotiations with guards which lead to her separation from her five-year-old daughter, Nangabire. More than a decade later, after eventually resettling in Phoenix, AZ, with nine of her 10 children, she is reunited with Nangabire. Rose emerged from her experience advocating forgiveness and reconciliation, and has become a pillar of strength for her family, community and as we see in this film, her daughter who is integrating into a new life in America.