DVD : 3/5 Rating : Osama

LINKS :
Rotten Tomatoes
IMDB
Wikipedia
Trailer (apple.com)
Official Website (MGM)
Blue Dot

IMHO REVIEW :
had heard alot about this movie - finally got it via netflixed and watched it the other day.

here's my review. it's a poorly shot movie with a really sad story. i say poorly shot because there isn't really anything exciting about the cinematography but the story itself is a sad one. it's about a 12 year old afghan girl, her mother and grandmother who has to live in a society run by the Taliban.

it's a story of oppression, of daily life in this part of the world and time. it's a very very sad movie. i saw the extra and learned some gems about this movie.

1. the girl playing the 12 year old Afghan girl never seen a movie or television. the girl grew up and has her own experiences with the Taliban.

2. the boy who helps her is also a street kid who was capturing stray dogs and selling them to people as pets.

the director wanted to have real people in his movie who brought with them real experiences.

3. the movie is based on / stiched together from real stories the director had heard / read. the real girl which the main story is based on was a girl who went to school - when the Taliban took over they forbade girls from attending school. she cut her hair and pretended to be a boy so she could attend school. the Taliban found out and the principle of that school was 'repremended' - it doesn't go into details of what happened to the principle.

if you've read some of my reviews i hate 'neat' hollywood endings - well this movie doesn't have one. it ends with a situation which makes you wonder what will happen to all the characters. it's a very realistic ending - which i'm guessing happens / happened.

the only reason the movie doesn't have a higher rating is because the movie feels like various stories stiched together and the cinematography wasn't great. other then that the story is an insightful sad one.