Film Number 15 on PinHeadLarry145's 30 Days 30 Countries Film Challenge!

Afghanistan, 2003.

Much like The Lives of Others at the start of this challenge, Osama tells a story that only the films home country is allowed to tell. Where The Lives of Others was made in a time where opinions were safe, this one was made in a time where it was a little more risky. The film makers could've very well have been risking their lives by telling this story.

Osama tells the tale of a young Afghani woman who has to pose as a boy in order to provide for her family during the rein of the Taliban. She ironically takes the name "Osama" and begins taking to the streets to provide for her loved ones. While the story here focuses on the 12 year old girl, it comments on the grand scheme of things and the overall state of things in Afghanistan for women and citizens on general. This film in particular focuses on the brutality and perverse acts towards women, but the same kind of inhuman acts can be carried over for pretty much any person no matter their gender, or background. Anyone who defied the Taliban regime was subject to this. And I often found myself confused and in disbelief for how barbaric and backwards this country actually was. Maybe my Western ignorance to the situation helped in driving the message home. It's a painful movie. A pragmatic movie. A tense movie. A depressing movie. An Afghani movie.

Much like The Motorcycle Diaries (which I watched earlier for the challenge) this film is important and passionate, but I could not make any connections on a deeper level. The events in this film shocked me and opened my eyes but that's about it. It's not exactly a movie you can watch for fun. And for only being an hour and twenty-eight minutes long, it felt like a century of bloody history being unfolded before my eyes.

Brb watching something happy.