Kandahar

Year: 2001
Director: Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Rating: NR
Length: 85 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: Other: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround
Subtitles: English, Other

Stars:
Niloufar Pazira
Hassan Tantai
Sadou Teymouri
Hoyatala Hakimi
Monica Hankievich

Plot:
Winner of a Jury Prize at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, KANDAHAR is an epic tale of hope and courage, inspired by the true story of a woman's attempt to enter Afghanistan.

Nafas, an Afghan-born Canadian journalist, returns to her homeland in a desperate attempt to reach her sister. Overcome with grief after being injured by a landmine and her despair over the Taliban's systemic oppression of women, she had vowed that she will commit suicide at the time of the next solar eclipse, only three days away.

Clothed in the traditional head-to-toe burka, and posing as a subservient wife, Nafas' odyssey takes her across a dramatic desert landscape, where she encounters bandits, corpse-robbers, marooned exiles, overwhelmed Red Cross workers, hordes of land-mine victims, and finally a wedding procession that brings her within eyeshot of Kandahar.

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

A stark and sobering look at life in Afghanistan, this documentary style film provides a first-hand look at life faced by women in a country where school for girls is prohibited, full burkas are required garb, just surviving is a full-time occupation, lawlessness is rampant, thieves and murderers roam freely preying on whomever they wish and medical knowledge is on par with the dark ages.
This film is truly an eye-opener for those who have never been to this part of the world. Although far from a “feel-good” film, it is well done and beautifully photographed. Worth a look.

Rating: