Movie Review: 'Buddha Collapsed out of Shame'
A look into post-Taliban Afghanistan through the eyes of a child
By Lidia Louk
Epoch Times New York Staff
| Sep 25, 2007 |
Buddha Collapsed out of Shame,
In the film Buddha Collapsed out of Shame, Baktay (Nikbakht Noruz) wanders in front of the site of the enormous Buddha statues that once graced Afghanistan before the statues were destroyed with dynamite by the Taliban in 2001. (makhmalbaf.com)
The instantly memorable movie title Buddha Collapsed out of Shame directed by Hana Makhmalbaf comes from an observation by her father, renowned Iranian film director Mohsen Makhmalbaf. "Even a statue can be ashamed of witnessing all this violence and harshness happening to these innocent people and, therefore, collapse."
Buddha Collapsed is Hana Makhmalbaf's first feature film. Her first short film was screened at the Locarno Film Festival (Ticino, Switzerland) when she was only eight years old.
Buddha Collapsed is set in Bamian, a small historic town in Afganistan ravaged by the Taliban's bloody rule. The violence has led to a complete destruction of precious historical and cultural relics, including the dynamiting of two priceless Buddha statues each over 100 feet tall that were carved into the Bamian cliffs 2,000 years ago. The tragic emptiness of the cliff openings' void where the statues used to preside serves as a backdrop for the most climactic and violent scenes of the film.
The story is a reflection of war and the seemingly unbreakable cycle of violence in children. Baktay (Nikbakht Noruz)—the main character, is a little girl in Bamian, who is obstinately trying to go to a recently opened girls' school across the river. In the process, she has to overcome her own family's poverty, her mother's indifference, and finally face ruthless boys who take her as a victim when playing a war game. The little girl's long and arduous journey provides numerous cultural references to modern day Afghanistan, and its attempt to return to normalcy following the Taliban's rule; including poverty, illiteracy, the need for reconciliation and reintegration in society.
Since the cute little Baktay serves as the narrative guide on this journey, it is very easy for the viewers to empathize with her aspirations and disappointments, despite the very basic dialogue. The purity of the child and her struggles illustrate the very core of Afghanistan's problems and challenges, as the audience experiences first-hand the ruthlessness of the Taliban via the boys' war game.
Very common for Makhmalbaf, is the neo-realist style of filmmaking, with simple and naturalistic portrayal of events, handheld cameras and non-actors in leading roles. However, the main story is told symbolically through the specific surroundings, the games characters play, the clothes they wear—all of these, plus the music, accentuating the climactic moments of the film, guide us on this colorful but devastating journey to the Middle East.
Buddha Collapsed is Hana Makhmalbaf's first feature film. Her first short film was screened at the Locarno Film Festival (Ticino, Switzerland) when she was only eight years old.
Buddha Collapsed is set in Bamian, a small historic town in Afganistan ravaged by the Taliban's bloody rule. The violence has led to a complete destruction of precious historical and cultural relics, including the dynamiting of two priceless Buddha statues each over 100 feet tall that were carved into the Bamian cliffs 2,000 years ago. The tragic emptiness of the cliff openings' void where the statues used to preside serves as a backdrop for the most climactic and violent scenes of the film.
The story is a reflection of war and the seemingly unbreakable cycle of violence in children. Baktay (Nikbakht Noruz)—the main character, is a little girl in Bamian, who is obstinately trying to go to a recently opened girls' school across the river. In the process, she has to overcome her own family's poverty, her mother's indifference, and finally face ruthless boys who take her as a victim when playing a war game. The little girl's long and arduous journey provides numerous cultural references to modern day Afghanistan, and its attempt to return to normalcy following the Taliban's rule; including poverty, illiteracy, the need for reconciliation and reintegration in society.
Since the cute little Baktay serves as the narrative guide on this journey, it is very easy for the viewers to empathize with her aspirations and disappointments, despite the very basic dialogue. The purity of the child and her struggles illustrate the very core of Afghanistan's problems and challenges, as the audience experiences first-hand the ruthlessness of the Taliban via the boys' war game.
Very common for Makhmalbaf, is the neo-realist style of filmmaking, with simple and naturalistic portrayal of events, handheld cameras and non-actors in leading roles. However, the main story is told symbolically through the specific surroundings, the games characters play, the clothes they wear—all of these, plus the music, accentuating the climactic moments of the film, guide us on this colorful but devastating journey to the Middle East.
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