Osama | Review

Rare national feature film depicts the dark realty of life under the brutal Taliban regime.

Much like the necessity of Italian Neorealism in a post-war Italy, this portrait of a middle-east country in distress demonstrates the power of cinema and the pressing need for it as a democratic tool for change. Director Siddiq Barmak’s effort emphasizes the unfair, inhuman treatment of Afghani women and does more for discussing the past and present conditions than a two-bit newswire piece in the back section of an American newspaper; basically it speaks volumes on a situation that should provoke anger in those watching it, and should perhaps be of great utility to the people in charge of drafting U.S Foreign Policies.

Osama is not a happy film. Barmak’s unflinching docu-drama depiction of the frightening Taliban terror is a traumatizing watch-but a necessary one. Filmed with the country’s only 35mm camera at a total cost of the price of used Volvo, Barmak’s centralizes the idea of a nation’s need and process of change with a young female pre-teenage protagonist, who is presented as a savior for her remaining gender “weak” starving family of mother and grandmother. “Hope” and “fear” are the two emotional responses that co-exist in this story, where the courageous victim’s only option is to pass herself off as a boy, not the easiest of things when you have spent all your life skipping rope instead of climbing trees. The film’s final sequence leaves the viewer with a sense of hopelessness combined with rage; though some of the shots and images are extreme it is hard to categorize this as a fictionalized work, since this is a story made out of other survival not unlike the conditions found in war-torn, third world countries.

Told through the point of view of Marina Golbahari as Osama, (who was found on a street as a beggar by the director) didn’t have to do much research into her role, she brilliantly expresses the sentiment of fear in the manner in which she carries her emotion and how the camera focuses in on her eyes and scared look on her face. Barmak’s deep, penetrating shots are mesmerizing considering the production details and filmmaking conditions, one close-up shot shows a pair of uncovered by a burkas set of feet, it speaks volumes about the ever present danger and the omission of freedom. Another poignant piece is the found in the little girl’s pot-flower of hope, where a former braid of hers gets an IV treatment. These single shots act as a staple for expressing ideas in a common viewing language.

Like (At Five in the Afternoon), such national films are part of the rebuilding process and hopefully it will open doors for new generations of filmmakers to speak out about pressing issues, and though Osama was mysteriously not considered worthy enough for a Best Foreign Picture Academy nomination, (perhaps the film’s title had something to do with it) when a film is this powerful it tends to become bigger than just a succession of celluloid images.

Rating 4 stars