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Osama
2003
The first Afghan film to be made since the end of the Taliban regime, OSAMA is a poetic portrayal of the struggle to survive during that oppressive period. A clear tribute to the strength and perseverance of the women of Afghanistan, OSAMA tells the true story of one family--all women--who had no other choice than to put their .. Read more
| Starring | Marina Golbahari, Arif Herati, Zubaida Sahar |
|---|---|
| Director | Siddiq Barmak |
| Genres | Drama |
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Osama
The first Afghan film to be made since the end of the Taliban regime, OSAMA is a poetic portrayal of the struggle to survive during that oppressive period. A clear tribute to the strength and perseverance of the women of Afghanistan, OSAMA tells the true story of one family--all women--who had no other choice than to put their lives in danger in order to live under seemingly impossible conditions. With women forbidden from working or even showing their faces in public, one family disguises their 12-year-old daughter as a boy and sends her to work in a local shop. The story is based on a newspaper article that director-writer Siddiq Barmak read while exiled in Pakistan during the Taliban regime. Barmak decided to write a script based on the article, and called upon popular Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf (KANDAHAR) to produce the film, using a cast of non-actors. The main character in the film calls herself Osama, which explains the title--it is not a reference to Osama bin Laden. Osama's job eventually leads her to be recruited into a Taliban-controlled boys school and her identity is nearly revealed as she undergoes questioning by her peers and the mullahs who run the school. A powerful film with beautiful photography and an important historical-political message, OSAMA is not to be missed.
| Starring | Marina Golbahari, Arif Herati, Zubaida Sahar |
|---|---|
| Director | Siddiq Barmak |
| Studio | DRAKES AVENUE PICTURES |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 20 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 18 Oct 2004 Production year: 2003 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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The first feature produced in post-Taliban Afghanistan is a revealing political fairy tale, in which a plucky heroine attempts to challenge a chauvinist tyranny. Director Siddiq Barmak relies on trusted neorealist techniques to tell his tale and draws a moving performance from Marina Golbahari, as the 12-year-old forced to disguise herself as a boy to find work after the closure of the hospital in which her war-widowed mother was a doctor. Indeed, the wholly untrained Golbahari exudes uncomprehending trust and innocent courage, until, under the name Osama, she is sent to a strict Koranic school where she lives in daily dread of her secret being exposed.
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Afghanistan: the Taliban have decreed that women can only emerge from home in male company. Desperate for the... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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13 out of 13 people found this review helpful
Painful & Heavy Work of Art
This film is brilliant, its effective in the way it throws you into the middle of the Taliban world, a world where theres no hope of rescue by the rest of the world. The oppression levels are at a maximum, especially if you're a woman.
I found this film frightening, claustrophobic and deeply upsetting. I actually cried when they showed a young girl hanging suspended in a well crying for her mother.
The ending is just as bleak, but its such an engaging film that the whole experience is worth it!! Please watch it! -
Most recent members' review
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
No More Taliban Anymore....
A totally depressing piece of film set in a country domineered by the Taliban.Woman are forbidden to have any existance or take up work leaving widows (& theres alot of them) in a desperate situation.A young girl reluctantly has her hair croped with the view of adopting a male identity & ends up in a school of religious nuts were she is constantly bullied as she looks like a 'nymph'.According to the film this was a true story which upon her discovery leads to a sick ending.This film deserves an award for how bleak life in Afganistan was,but I am curious to know wether this poor girl came out of it alive.As a film there is little gloss or entertainment value here but sure feminists might have something to say & quite rightly so.
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News and features
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Moore claims US government tried to stop film
- 16 May 2004
Maverick US film-maker Michael Moore has accused the White House of trying to ban his latest film. Moore told an audience in Cannes that the Bush administration attempted to stop his latest project, Fahrenheit 911 from being shown in US cinemas as it could seriously damage President George W Bush's re-election hopes. The documentary will be shown at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday, where it is competing for the prestigious Palme D'Or festival award. Fahrenheit 911 charts Mr Bush's actions... Read more
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