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Review

Osama takes us to a society driven insane by an extreme religious faction imposing crippling restrictions onto a country already decimated by the ravages of war. A 12-year-old girl and her mother lose their jobs and four months back pay when the Taliban takes control of their community, closing the small Afghani town's hospital where they worked. Finding other work is next to impossible: not only are opportunities for employment virtually nonexistent, but now women are not allowed to work or speak to strangers. Only the mother and daughter and grandmother remain; their husbands and brothers and fathers are dead, and women cannot even walk down a street unaccompanied by a man. In desperation, the mother cuts her daughter's hair, dresses her as a boy, calls her Osama, and sends her out to work where she can. Osama's mother has fallen victim to the Taliban's opinions of females, but her grandmother still clings to a more egalitarian view of women and their place in society. Osama takes up her task, knowing she could be executed if discovered — and discovery is inevitable. Osama, the first Afghani film made after the overthrow of the Taliban regime, astounds in that it is based on a true, contemporary story and is not a tale from another time, a long-past century. Young Golbahari carries the film with a synthesis of inspirational strength and heartbreaking vulnerability. She endures daunting circumstances that expose the ideological callousness and damning hypocrisy within the ranks of these men who have appointed themselves the exclusive interpreters of God's word. Osama is chilling and unnerving, and yet still provides a glimmer of hope in the most dismal of circumstances. (Pashtu with English subtitles)