A Great but Shocking Movie

OSAMA, A Great but Shocking Movie

This is such a powerful movie since it portrays the horrible life women lived in Afghanistan during the Taliban rule.

Osama is a movie that was entirely shot in Afghanistan, by Siddiq Barmak. It was shot when the Taliban regime was ruling Afghanistan and banning all women from working.

The movie follows a powerless pre-teen girl, who is persuaded by her mother and grandmother, after having the mother's husband and uncle killed during the Soviet invasion, to disguise herself as a boy, in order to get a job and support the family.

It starts with the grandmother telling her granddaughter a story about a boy who changed into a girl by passing under a rainbow! As if it makes it easier for the girl to accept the idea of disguising as a boy.

Even though the girl was horrified that the Taliban would discover her secret and kill her, she goes along with the idea.

As a boy named Espandy recognizes her despite her huge change in appearance, he promises not to tell anyone about her secret and even tries to protect her as much as possible.

The disguise becomes more difficult when the Taliban recruit all the boys and send them to a camp in which they are taught how to fight, and conduct an ablution (the act of washing oneself) after having an intercourse with their wives as they get married.

As Osama tries to avoid joining the ablution session, the Taliban grow suspicious of the reason. She realizes that at some point the Taliban will find out about her plan and punish her.

This movie illustrates how cruel the Taliban were to woman, especially by not allowing them to go outside, even to work. So basically, a woman without a man to support her is left to die.

The movie made me think of others and understand how many people around us are living in very poor conditions. Each and everyone of us has the right to live peacefully without anything threatening our lives or freedom.