Osama

Genres:	Family	True Story	Afghanistan
Feminism	Political	War

Osama
Review by George O. Singleton for Reel Movie Critic
H H H ½
Cast
Marina Golbahari	Osama
Directed by Siddiq Barmak. Woman in Afghanistan under the Taliban. Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements. United Artists. Running time 82 minutes. In Dari with English subtitles.
Human rights is a continuous struggle

When the Taliban assumed control over Afghanistan, except for a limited number of positions, women were forbidden to work outside the home. Even when they traveled, they had to be accompanied by their husband or an authorized male. In the presence of men, they had to turn and face the wall, and at all times they had to wear burkas, the full length garment that covers one from head to toe, front and back, in such a way that crossing the street is a death defying event. To many women in Afghanistan, the Taliban was the equivalent of the KKK operating in full daylight, with a measure of respect.

The film opens with a statement by Nelson Mandela, "I cannot forget, but I can forgive." Osama (Marina Golbahari) is the name given to a 12-year-old Afghan girl posing as a boy so she can keep her job. Her father and uncle have been killed in the war. With only women in the house, there is no way to earn a living and exist other than begging, which would not bring in enough to survive. The mother decides to cut Osama’s hair so she can dress her as a boy and hopefully find some work.

One afternoon the Taliban’s religious police force assembles the men in a mosque for prayer. Unfamiliar with the ways that men pray, Osama arouses suspicion by one of the Taliban officials. Her deception is eventually discovered and she is jailed. One of the options is death by stoning, so the decision made by her and her mother was a decision to survive, with full knowledge of the risk and consequences they were taking.

Although Osama does manage to survive, the film ends on a positive note that’s like drinking sour milk. It quenches your thirst, makes you sick yet you continue to exist. It’s one of those "if it doesn’t kill you, it will make you stronger" situations.

This is not an easy PG-13 film to watch, as it stirs your emotions and makes you angry. There must be something about human nature that makes certain people only feel good about themselves if they can put others in positions beneath them, with control over their day to day lives. On the surface the story of a girl posing as a boy may remind you of the film "Baran," which takes place in Iran. Here the inherent brutality of the governing Afghan regime is much worse than that depicted in Iran, which is not known for being a liberal state. One better understands why there are more than 1.4 million Afghan refugees in Iran. Another compelling film on the plight of women in Iran is "The Circle." "Osama" is a stark, low budget film that has the feel of a documentary. While the story is a compilation of true events about a variety of people and situations, the amateur actors do an excellent job of conveying real feelings (e.g., "City of God").

There should be a way that nations of the world can work to eliminate these types of abuses, without it being a contingent benefit of warfare; in our particular case, our attack on Afghanistan to find the perpetrators of 9/11 atrocities. Of course, the US is not the only nation to turn a blind eye to injustice. But if we continue to be part of the problem…that’s no solution.

george@reelmoviecritic.com