Film Review

     War and Children  

 Buddha Collapsed out of Shame is one of the famous movie productions from the Makhmalbaf Film House. This film is written by Marzieh Makhmalbaf and is directed by a young Iranian film-maker, Hana Makhmalbaf in 2007. The language used in the movie is Persian and the running time of the show is 81 minutes. It is the tragic first film from Hana. She uses the technique of docufiction (The cinematographic combination of documentary and fiction), which the characters in the movie are actually playing their own role in real life. She has successfully capture the real scenes of life of those children in Afghanistan which are the sexual prejudice and corruption of innocence, the harshness that those naïve children are facing after the American and Taliban war and the effects of the war in Afghanistan on the local children. It is an amazing film that provides a heart-to-heart portrait of the desperate life lived through by the children in today’s Afghanistan.

This story takes place in Bamian, a small historical town in Afghanistan. The movie starts off by showing the explosion of the statues of Buddha by the Talibans in 2001.Bakhtay (Nikbakht Noruz), the main character, a six-year-old little girl whose home is a scarcely settled cave, has to undertake an epic battle with all her efforts against all odds. She has to take care of her baby sibling when her mother is away. After she is being fascinated and inspired by her neighbor Abbas (Abbas Alijome)’s schoolbook, the only thought that she has is to go to school, to read and learn funny stories. By selling food, she finds the money to buy a notebook and take her mother’s lipstick as pencil, she begins her journey. During her way in search of schooling, she encounters many obstacles such as the poverty of the family, the lacking concern from her mother and the violent, brutal boys that force her to be the victim of the’ war game’. When she finally finds a girl’s school, she is being thrown out from classroom by a female teacher. At the end, she is taken hostage by a group of local boys, and she realizes that ‘dying’ is the only way to be free.

This film conveys an important message to us. It shows the aftermath of the war on the children. It also reminds us of the profound influence of war on our generation, for instance, when violence becomes an acceptable component in society and culture, starting from playground, moving onto sports and leisure activities, shifting into the family and neighbourhood, it seems violence is one of the best ways in solving problems and it slowly adapts itself among the children since they are young.

Heartbreaking feeling emerges in me when seeing Bakhtay harassed by the boys who were trying to mimic the horrible violence that they witnessed. The boys took her as the prisoner and tried to stone her when playing the ‘war game’. Besides, Bakhtay is a brave and determined little girl because she never gives up on her dream, which is enter a school and learn. These qualities are shown when she was kept searching for her notebook during her escape from the cruel boys with the risk of caught by the boys, because she knew that, with the notebook, she can go to school. Her action greatly provokes and inspires me. She shows me the value of’ When there’s a will, there’s a way’ .And as the result, she found the school.

I would strongly suggest that everyone should watch this film. Though the tempo of the movie is slow according to action standards, the images are beautiful and full of drama. For me, it is a 10 stars movie.

(621 words)