POV Season 20 Episode 1 Rain in a Dry Land

POV is an American documentary series that features independent non-fiction films. Season 20 Episode 1 is named Rain in a Dry Land and was originally released on June 26, 2007. The episode runs for approximately 1 hour and 22 minutes.

Rain in a Dry Land tells the story of two Somali Bantu families who are resettled in Springfield, Massachusetts, after spending more than a decade in refugee camps in Kenya. The episode follows their lives for 17 months as they struggle to adapt to their new surroundings and build a new life for themselves.

The episode begins by introducing the two families - one made up of a husband and wife with two young children, and the other of a single mother with four children. They had left Somalia in the early 1990s when civil war broke out and spent over a decade in refugee camps in Kenya before being selected for resettlement in the United States.

The episode shows the challenges the families face as they try to adapt to their new surroundings, including language barriers, cultural differences, and the difficulty of finding employment. They are placed in a run-down apartment complex in an impoverished neighborhood, which further complicates their efforts to build a new life.

Despite these challenges, the families are determined to succeed. They attend English classes, take odd jobs when they can, and work hard to become self-sufficient. The episode shows how they are able to find support in their new community, particularly through the local church, which helps them to access services and find jobs.

Over the course of the episode, the families experience ups and downs. There are moments of triumph, such as when one of the single mother's sons is accepted into college, and moments of heartbreak, such as when the husband in the other family becomes seriously ill. Through it all, however, they remain resilient and determined to build a better life.

Overall, Rain in a Dry Land is a poignant and thought-provoking episode of POV which offers a glimpse into the daily struggles of refugees as they try to rebuild their lives in a new country. The series is known for its ability to provide insightful, emotional, and thought-provoking stories that challenge viewers to think about important issues. This episode does not disappoint, and it is sure to leave a lasting impression on anyone who watches it.