Osama
Directed by Siddiq Barmak.
The flyer proclaims that it is “the first entirely Afghani film made since the rise and fall of the Taliban”, and in this sense this film is important and timely. The title is, however, misleading — this film has little to do with that now infamous terrorist figure. Instead, it aims for a truthful account of life under the Taliban.
We follow a young girl of about 12, played with silent intensity by Marina Golbahari, who, by her mother’s suggestion, cuts her hair and dresses as a boy so that her family is able to survive — women, of course, are not allowed to work, nor even travel alone in the streets without a male escort. She manages to find a job at a local store, but is just as soon taken away to a Taliban training school, where her fellow students grow ever closer to discovering her identity.
There is little plot or even character in this film, the individuals instead being archetypal figures representing the overall situation in Afghanistan. Where the film succeeds is in presenting a picture of the misogyny and injustice that characterises the Taliban regime. That it is made in Afghanistan by Afghans is critical to the realism of situation. It isn’t a documentary, but it might as well be, since most of the participants would have first hand knowledge of the atrocities they are depicting. Similarly, it appears to be all shot on location, most likely the very same locations where similar events have actually occurred.
First time director Siddiq Barmak, who also wrote and edited, cleverly juxtaposes documentary and classical style and creates many beautiful images. In the end Osama is a difficult film to evaluate because while one cannot deny the importance of the situation presented, the story itself is nothing new or extraordinary, but certainly one that needed to be told.
***/4
Josh Blackman
