Metro Australia — January 2018

72 •Metro Magazine 195 | © ATOM

"@QQXHMF SGD EFG@M M@SHNM@KHSX V@R SGD AHFFDRS RG@LD ENQ LD

@R @ BGHKC HM 3DGQ@M VGDQD LX EFG@M O@QDMSR KHUDC ENQ L@MX

XD@QR

 ( V@R BNLOKDSDKX AKHMC @ANTS EFG@MHRS@M @MC LX O@Q-

DMSR CHCMS G@UD SG@S LTBG :HMENQL@SHNM<SNFHUDLD

3GDXVDQD

RNXNTMFVGDMSGDXLNUDCSN(Q@M

,W ZDVQpW XQWLO DIWHU WKH HYHQWV RI 6HSWHPEHU  WKDW VKH VHW IRRW

LQ KHU PRWKHU DQG IDWKHUpV KRPHODQG :KHQ KHU IDPLO\ HYHQWX

ally moved back, they returned to the ‘small and isolated village

VRPHZKHUH LQ FHQWUDO $IJKDQLVWDQ ZKHUH >KHU@ SDUHQWV ZHUH

ERUQ DQG VSHQW WKHLU FKLOGKRRGp 7KHUH 6DGDWpV OLIH ZDV WUDQV

IRUPHG 6KH GLVFRYHUHG WKH UHDOLW\ RI UXUDO H[LVWHQFH DQG DV

VKH VDZ ĺOPV DERXW $IJKDQLVWDQ WKH JDS EHWZHHQWKHVLJKWV

they featured and her own experiences.

<HW DV FDQ UHDVRQDEO\ EH H[SHFWHG WKH HOHYHQ\HDUROG

6DGDW IHOW GLIIHUHQWO\ DERXW WKH UHSDWULDWLRQ WKDQKHUSDUHQWV

IRU}ZKRPLWZDVDNLQWRoJRLQJEDFNKRPHp

( BNTKC MNS DUDM ROD@J SGD K@MFT@FD

 ( JMDV MNSGHMF @ANTS SGD

BTKSTQD @MC ( V@R MNS TRDC SN KHUHMF HM QTQ@K O@QSR m DRODBH@KKX

@ BNLOKDSDKX CHRBNMMDBSDC OK@BD SN SGD VNQKC

 3GDQD V@R MN

DKDBSQHBHSX S@O V@SDQ RHFM@K ENQ OGNMDR @MC NE BNTQRDMNHMSDQ-

MDS

-NSGHMFMNSDUDM@RBGNNKENQLDSNFNSN

6DGDWpV H[SHULHQFHV PLJKWQpW LQLWLDOO\ VHHP FRQGXFLYH WR WKH

SHUVSHFWLYH WKDW KHU ĺOP SURYLGHV KRZHYHU ZKDW VKH H[SHUL

enced and learned informs every part of6NKE@MC2GDDO.

2DUDM XD@QR KHUHMF SGDQD F@UD LD RN L@MX SGHMFR DUDM SGNTFG

( SGNTFGS @S SGD SHLD SG@S HS SNNJ RN LTBG EQNL LD

 ( G@C SGD

NOONQSTMHSX SN KD@QM @ANTS QTQ@K O@QSR NE EFG@MHRS@M EFG@M

RNBHDSX@MCLDMS@KHSXBTKSTQDK@MFT@FD

8OWLPDWHO\ VKH GHVFULEHV WKDW FKDSWHU LQ KHU \RXWK DV oDQ H[

WUHPHO\ FORVHXS VKRW RI $IJKDQLVWDQp D VWDWHPHQW WKDW FDQ

DOVR DSSO\ WR KHU IHDWXUH 6KH OLYHG WKURXJK WKH PLQXWLDH RI

WKH GD\WRGD\ WKDW PDQ\ $IJKDQV FDOO WKHLU RZQ t WKH VDPH

demarcations, chatter, expectations and traditions that she

KDV GHSLFWHG LQ6NKE @MC 2GDDO. This was a life that wasn’t

FRQFHUQHG ZLWK QRU LGHQWLĺHG E\ WKH W\SHRIWXUPRLOWKDWWKH

nation is constantly associated with.

7KH LGHD WR GUDZ RQ KHU RZQ OLIH IRU D ĺOP FDPH DERXW DI

WHU VKH PRYHG WR .DEXO DV D WHHQDJHU o%\ FKDQFH , ZHQW WR

WKH GRFXPHQWDU\ ĺOP ZRUNVKRS $WHOLHUV 9DUDQ .DEXOp VKH

UHFRXQWV oZKLFK ZDV D VKRUWWHUP )UHQFK GRFXPHQWDU\ ZRUN

shop that had activities in countries with poor cinema indus

tries, spreading the cinema vérité style.’ Through this, she

oIHOO LQ ORYH ZLWK WKLV FLQHPD WKDW WDONHG DERXW WUXWK DQG UHDO

LW\p ZKLFK IRU KHU ZHUHoWKHWZRPDLQLWHPVPLVVLQJLQĺOPV

DERXW}$IJKDQLVWDQp

( OQDEDQQDC kBSHNM BHMDL@ LNQD SG@M CNBTLDMS@QX RN ( CDBHCDC

SN L@JD kKLR @ANTS SGD DUDQXC@X KHED NE ODNOKD @MC SN RSDO NM

BKHBGĔR @ANTS EFG@MHRS@M VGHBG@KV@XR@KKSGDSHLDHRADHMF

KNNJDC:@S<SGQNTFGV@Q

There’s certainly a need for movies about Afghanistan that

JR EH\RQG LWV WXUEXOHQW SROLWLFDO FOLPDWH 1RQ$IJKDQPDGH

HIIRUWV RIWHQ XVH WKH FRXQWU\ DV DQ H[DPSOH RI WKH EURDGHU UH

gion’s struggles, as evidenced in6GHRJDX 3@MFN %NWSQNS*OHQQ

)LFDUUD -RKQ 5HTXD  EDVHG RQ D PHPRLU E\ ZDU MRXU

QDOLVW .LP%DUNHU1NBJ SGD *@RA@G%DUU\ /HYLQVRQ  DQ

account of the tumult surrounding a music competition, loosely

adapting the documentary EFG@M 2S@Q+DYDQD 0DUNLQJ 

6@Q #NFR7RGG 3KLOOLSV  D UHDOOLIHLQVSLUHG GUDPD DERXW

PXQLWLRQV GHDOV IRU WKH $IJKDQ 1DWLRQDO $UP\ WKDW KHOS VHW XS

WZR 86 DUPV WUDGHUV DQG3GD *HSD 1TMMDQ(Marc Forster, 2007),

which pairs the guilt of a boy over his treatment of a friend with

the cruelty and violence of the Taliban.

([SORUDWLRQV E\ QRQ86 ĺOPPDNHUV WHQG WR RIIHU JUHDWHU

nuance, focusing on the plight of Afghans rather than that of

$PHULFDQV WKRXJK WKH VKDGRZ RI WURXEOH UHPDLQV ,UDQLDQ GL

rector Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s*@MC@G@Q(2001) delves into the

SDUWO\ WUXH VWRU\ RI DQ $IJKDQ&DQDGLDQ ZKR UHWXUQV WR KHOS

D SDO WKHQ GLVFRYHUV WKH GLIĺFXOWLHV RI OLYLQJ XQGHU 7DOLEDQ

UXOH 7KH *ROGHQ *OREHtZLQQLQJOsama E\ $IJKDQ

ZULWHUGLUHFWRU 6LGGLT %DUPDN IROORZV D JLUO IRUFHG WR GUHVV

as a boy in order to provide for her family under the prevail

LQJ UHJLPH $QG )UHQFK$IJKDQ GLUHFWRU $WLT 5DKLPLpV3GD

/@SHDMBD 2SNMD(2012) depicts the burden worn by the wife of

an older man incapacitated by a bullet in his neck, using this

WR FULWLTXH WKH QDWLRQpV FRQWUROOLQJ IRUFHV

6DGDWpV FRQWHQWLRQ FRQWLQXHV WR ULQJ WUXH ZKHQ LW FRPHV

to documentaries, which expectedly examine the toll of war:

the insights into the refugee existence in3GD !NX 6GN /K@XR

NM SGD !TCCG@R NE !@LHX@M3KLO *UDEVN\  WKH 'DQLVK

account of Afghan soldiers in QL@CHKKN-DQXV 0HW] 

WKH FKURQLFOH RI 86 WURRSV VHUYLQJ LQ $IJKDQLVWDQ LQ1DRSQDON

7LP +HWKHULQJWRQ 6HEDVWLDQ-XQJHUDQGLWVVHTXHO

*NQDMF@K-XQJHU 

:KLOH 6DGDWpV ĺOP GHYLDWHV IURP WKH QRUP LJQRULQJ WKH

SHUYDVLYH FRQĻLFW LVQpW KHU VROXWLRQ6NKE @MC 2GDDOcomes

WR D FORVH ZLWK LWV FKDUDFWHUV VFXUU\LQJ DZD\ IURP WKHLU KRPHV

after reports of encroaching gunmen – a potent reminder of

the nation’s troubles, which is effective because audiences

havealready witnessed the life they’re being forced to abandon.

,QGHHG VKRW ZLWK QDWXUDOLVP DQG SHUIRUPHG E\ QRQSURIHVVLRQDO

Afghan actors who convey their characters’ plights as though

they’ve lived these themselves,6NKE @MC 2GDDOproves unlike

WKH EXON RI RWKHU HIIRUWV VHW LQ WKH FRXQWU\ ,WpV D VOLFHRIOLIH

portrait made by someone who has been through or witnessed

PXFK RI ZKDW KHU ĺOP VKRZV EXW KDV DOVR H[SHULHQFHG H[LVW

ence elsewhere, encountered prevailing conceptions of her

homeland and become conscientious about the need to make

D PRYLH WKDW EULGJHV WKH JDS EHWZHHQ WKH WZR

:KDW UHVXOWV LV D VWRU\ WKDW UHPDLQV FRJQLVDQW RI ERWK LQ

VLGHU DQG RXWVLGHU SHUVSHFWLYHV 6DGDWpV H[SHULHQFHV t OHDYLQJ

7HKUDQ IRU .DEXO WKHQ PDNLQJ KHU PRYLH ZLWK WKH VXSSRUW RI

the Cannes Film Festival’s Cinéfondation residency – have as

sisted her in crafting a personal yet universal representation of

$IJKDQLVWDQpV RQWKHJURXQG UHDOLW\ 7KDW DQ LQVLJKWIXO H[SORUD

tion of the country eventuates in6NKE @MC 2GDDOis as much

E\ GHVLJQ DV LW LV IURP LQHYLWDELOLW\ WKH RUGLQDU\ HYHQWV WKH ĺOP

depicts are framed as just that, but, to viewers fed a diet of

media that paint Afghanistan differently, they’re extraordinary.

GSSOVNKE@MCRGDDOkKL

BNL

2@Q@G6@QCHR@!QHRA@MDA@RDCEQDDK@MBDkKLBQHSHB@MCVQHSDQ
m

Endnote

(^1) 7KRXJK LW PXVW EH FODULŷHG WKDW VKRRWLQJ WRRN SODFH LQ 7DMLNLVWDQ
WR HQVXUH WKH VHFXULW\ RI WKH ŷOPpV SURGXFWLRQ WHDP VHH $OLVVD
6LPRQ o)LOP 5HYLHZWolf and Sheep’,Variety  0D\ 
KWWSYDULHW\FRPŷOPIHVWLYDOVZROIDQGVKHHSFDQQHV
ŷOPUHYLHZ!DFFHVVHG}2FWREHU