First a word about the movie's low rating here on IMDb. Click on Ratings to see who gave the low ratings and who gave the high. Young boys rated it as low as 1. Young women rated it as high as 9.5. And in between the wide separation of scores is entirely based on age and sex. In every age group females gave it much higher ratings than males. And in the case of men, the older they are, the higher their ratings.
So this is not a movie for immature males. It is thoughtful, provocative, layered. Is Afghan culture repressive and ugly? Yes. Is the burga a symbol of women's repression? Probably--but what do we make of the fact that this Afghan girl, so innocent, so excited about becoming married to a boy she loves, wants more than anything else a burqa to wear on her wedding night in order to appear mysterious, alluring, and sexy? In the bedroom on her wedding night, is the burqa still a symbol of oppression?
The Westerners in the movie voice the typical attitudes about how primitive Afghan culture is. They have come to make a movie, and while making it they try to "uplift" the locals in little ways. Yet when they drive away, their attempts leave a trail of destruction.
But mostly the film is about the terrible effects of Afghan culture, its proneness to violence, its hatred of foreigners, and especially its horrific treatment of women. The ending leaves you on the verge of tears and shaking your fist at Afghan men.
It's a movie well worth seeing, unless you think X-Men and Pirates of the Caribbean are examples of film-making at its best.
So this is not a movie for immature males. It is thoughtful, provocative, layered. Is Afghan culture repressive and ugly? Yes. Is the burga a symbol of women's repression? Probably--but what do we make of the fact that this Afghan girl, so innocent, so excited about becoming married to a boy she loves, wants more than anything else a burqa to wear on her wedding night in order to appear mysterious, alluring, and sexy? In the bedroom on her wedding night, is the burqa still a symbol of oppression?
The Westerners in the movie voice the typical attitudes about how primitive Afghan culture is. They have come to make a movie, and while making it they try to "uplift" the locals in little ways. Yet when they drive away, their attempts leave a trail of destruction.
But mostly the film is about the terrible effects of Afghan culture, its proneness to violence, its hatred of foreigners, and especially its horrific treatment of women. The ending leaves you on the verge of tears and shaking your fist at Afghan men.
It's a movie well worth seeing, unless you think X-Men and Pirates of the Caribbean are examples of film-making at its best.