Osama

Rating:
Summary: Oh dear, I am dragged into this thing again, as I said
Review: before on my review for Hanity's 'Let freedom ring', I hate to give negative reviews because I belief in being optimistic because I till recently was very much a depressed and pessimistic, cynical teenager but that time is over and I try to look on the bright side of things but this is just a blatant insult on the art of filmmaking, not only that, I have also finally been convinced that you can sell anything to Americans, I have finally been convinced a 100% on this, I am so frustrated by the state of, oh forger it.

Rating:
Summary: Power through subtlety
Review: I understand that movies such as Osama do not appeal to everyone's taste. First off, people who lack the attention span to absorb all of the subtle details of the film will not enjoy this movie. Secondly, the people who dislike the Bush administration will not enjoy this movie because the story is overshadowed by the immense expression of American viewpoints in the Afghanistan situation.

We have to understand that we cannot watch a movie such as Osama through the perspective of an American - more importantly an American adult. Thus, I feel the director purposely centered the movie's story around the perspective of a 12-year old girl to reflect the innocent thoughts of children and their unhindered views of the environment around them. Moreover, the director effectively, honestly, and powerfully conveys the repression caused by the Taliban in Afghanistan (mainly among women).

Osama's slow moving pace can be justified because human emotion requires a longer time frame to develop than mere plot. The illustration of the complex situations that the 12-year old girl faces throughout the movie are incomplete without a general understanding of how those situations affect her. For example, the director takes great pains to film the actress returning home from her work (disguised as a boy) to show the danger involved as well as showcase her vulnerability and apprehension. All the subtle details about the dog and the mysterious man following her add to the paranoia of the situation.

As I said earlier, Osama is not everyone's cup of tea. Those who do enjoy the movie will find that it is truly an engaging film that has a lot to say about society in Afghanistan. Others may find that its subtlety is tedious and pretentious. However, do not completely discredit this movie. Either way, you will leave the movie having learned something about Afghanistan or at least be impacted in somehow.

Rating:
Summary: My review of Osama
Review: It's a gritty realistic view of what life was really like for the women and children of Afghanistan under the Talaban!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Heartrending
Review: Some months ago, I saw a film entitled KANDAHAR, in which a Afghan-Canadian woman endeavors to smuggle herself back into Afghanistan to talk her sister out of a planned suicide. Though the audience sees the wretchedness of life under Taliban rule, and the shameful way in which women are treated, the film as a whole lacks impact because the plot's thread of continuity degenerates into a series of vignettes without a substantive ending. The viewers' sympathies may remain detached. Not so with OSAMA.

Osama (Marina Golbahari) is a pre-adolescent girl living with her mother (Zubaida Sahar) and grandmother (Hamida Refah). It's a family without men, both the mother's husband and brother having been slain in the war against the Soviets. Since women are not allowed out in public without a man, the mother - evidently a health worker by training - must earn money for the family by surreptitiously seeing patients. But that doesn't bring in enough to keep from starving. So, it's decided to cut Osama's hair, dress her as a boy, and send her out into society to get a job. For awhile, she works in a shop run by a kind and generous man that served in the war with her father. Then, one day, the Taliban does a sweep of the town, forcing all young boys to attend a school of fundamentalist Islamic instruction. In this all-male environment, Osama's false identity unravels with terrible consequences.

I generally watch movies for their entertainment value. But there are films that serve as sobering instruction about the blighted corners and medieval practices of our planet, and this film is one of these. As a representative of this genre, OSAMA packs a big punch. The women-denigrating practices of a Taliban-dominated society rank right up there with enforced footbinding and female castration, and I can't imagine any person of ordinary sensitivity or conscience leaving the film unaffected. Indeed, a militant feminist may be tempted to lash out at the first man she encounters without thinking of first kissing the ground of the Western democracy she's fortunate enough to live in.

The very last scene of OSAMA simply shows an old mullah taking a ritual cleansing bath, which seems innocent enough. But it implies a new level to which Osama's misery has been taken, and one should weep for her.

Rating:
Summary: Taliban's brutality against women and girls
Review: This is a painfully realistic movie about the brutalities committed by the Taliban against women and girls. The images are heartbreaking. Being a Western woman is difficult for me to see the Taliban side of the issue. Nothing justifies starving human beings in the name of religion or treating women like chattel. Giving a 12 year old as a wife-slave to an old man for me exemplifies the true nature of the Taliban. Bunch of thugs who use religion to brutalize the weakest. Probably to feel like real men they need to abuse women.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Watch this movie if you would like to see a realistic portrayal of Afghanistan during the Taliban regime. This movie might be kind of slow moving for some people, I thought the pace was fine.

This movie effectively shows Afghanistan under the Taliban regime and the atrocities they commited on Afghans. The cinematography is wonderful. The sad thing is that there are still millions of people in the world who live in conditions just as bad and nothing is done to help them.

If you are not interested in Afghanistan or the Taliban regime, then don't bother watching this movie. If you would like to learn about Afganistan, then you should watch this movie.

Rating:
Summary: Weak Characterizations, but Strong Images.
Review: Writer/director Siddiq Barmak made "Osama" in Afghanistan just after the Taliban fell from power. He employed a cast of non-professional actors and cinematographer Ebrahim Ghafori to weave this story of life under the oppressive Taliban regime. "Osama" is a fictional story focusing on the plight of women under Taliban rule, and was inspired by real experiences in Afghanistan. A family of women who have lost their husbands and brothers in various wars struggle to make ends meet in a society that won't allow them to earn a living. When the family's wage-earner (Zubaida Sahar) loses her job at a hospital that can no longer afford to pay her, she disguises her 12-year-old daughter (Marina Golbahari) as a boy so that she may find work and provide income for her family. But complications ensue.

"Osama" is the second film featuring the work of cinematographer Ebrahim Ghafori to have a U.S. release. The first, 2001's "Kandahar", also took place in Afghanistan and is remembered best for its striking use of simple composition and bold color. Ghafori's recognizable style makes an impact once again in "Osama". It seems that he's fast creating Afghanistan's image to the world. It's remarkable that such an impoverished nation could be so photogenic.

Having been inspired by real events and made by Afghani artists, I think it's safe to assume that the story of "Osama" is a realistic glimpse of working-class Afghani culture during the Taliban's reign. And that is probably the film's greatest value. The title character is not strong or well-drawn. Young "Osama" is neither intelligent or stalwart. It would be a more engaging story if she were. The director may be trying to make the point that these people are all victims, and I'm sure they are, but watching victimhood for an hour and a half leaves something to be desired. Strong characters and interesting adaptive behavior, for example. The exception is an alternately annoying and charming street urchin named Espandi who is played by Arif Herati, a street kid himself. The boy's bold salesman personality jumps off the screen. "Osama" has the distinctly plodding pace that all films made in Afghanistan seem to have, which helps communicate this very foreign culture to frenetic Western audiences. It's not boring so much as it is lulling. In spite of weak characterizations, "Osama" is a beautiful film that offers insight into an interesting culture at an unfortunate period in its history.

The DVD: There is a 20-minute interview with writer/director Siddiq Barmak in which he talks about the beginnings of his film career in Afghanistan and "Osama"'s inception, casting, and filming. It's worth seeing if you like the film. There are two unavoidable previews preceding the film.