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 At Five in the Afternoon More at IMDbPro »Panj é asr (original title)

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24 out of 24 people found the following review useful:
moving docu-style drama, 11 September 2003
9/10
Author: webdak from United States

This movie will be very moving, if you can sit still and take the opportunity to be drawn into the disturbing situation of a destroyed Kabul after 25 years of war. The story of Noqreh who dreams of becoming president while hiding her school attendance from her conservative father is very intense. Togehter with the sister-in-law and her sick child, Noqreh and her father are looking for a place to live in the ruins, they briefly stay in a crashed airplane and the bombed parliament building, before leaving the city for a more traditional country side... The camera observes, taking its time to capture the essence of the moments and the characters, including a staged debate between the two presidential candidates in the girl school. While the women start discovering some freedom (sun-umbrellas; dressing shoes), the men are struggling with keeping their faith in the new realities and everybody -including truck loads of returning refugees from Pakistan - is only trying to survive. At the moment, when a few helicopters flying over the head of the traveling family and they look up, I realized how deeply drawn I was into the movie and its very sad reality - so out of place seemed this modern technological machine compared to the mule-drawn carriage in a harsh landscape. Highly recommended, if you like Rohmer, Tarkowski or Mambety - 9 out of 10 stars!

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22 out of 22 people found the following review useful:
There was hope & despair in Afghanistan at 5 in the afternoon, 6 December 2003
Author: Shakespeare-2 from Ottawa, Canada

In "At Five in the Afternoon", we follow the fortunes of a young woman in Afghanistan and her family. Nogreh is caught between two worlds. On the one hand, she attends a school where the teacher encourages girls to become doctors, engineers and even President. At the same time, Nogreh must wait until she steps out of her father's home before she lifts the veil of her burka and trades flat-soled shoes for high heels.

Nogreh is a very idealistic and ambitious young woman who emulates Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan and dreams of being President of her own country some day. Yet she has been kept in a state of childlike naivety and ignorance about politics at home and abroad, due to the teachings of the Koran, Shariah (Islamic law) and the Taliban.

It is exciting to hear the young girls debate the status of women in their country. But the film is also sympathetic and understanding toward the old Afghanistan, symbolized by Nogreh's father. He bewails that "Blasphemy has overrun the city" and the world, as he knew it, has ceased to exist. To add pathos to the situation, he feels he can confide his feelings only to a dumb animal -- his donkey, who "knows nothing but hay".

The film's title echoes a recurring verse from Federico Garcia Lorca's poem, "Lament for Ignacio Sanchez Mejia", about the goring of a bullfighter. Like Lorca's poem, "At Five in the Afternoon" is clouded over by a somber atmosphere of tragedy, death and despair. Yet the film remains remarkable for its astonishingly hopeful -- and indeed radical and revolutionary -- vision of hope for Afghanistan and indeed all of the Arab world.

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14 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
Stunning. An eye opener!, 14 July 2005
10/10
Author: Bill Stoll (bill@billstoll.com) from Tampa FL

This movie tugged at my heartstrings delivering an unforgettable portrayal of Afghan life. It's a 10 out of 10, poetically revealing modern life in a city relegated to Neanderthal living conditions after the Taliban was sent packing.

The Film's title is the title of an extraordinarily relevant poem, recited twice during the film.

Though a tough way to learn Farsi (it's subtitled - phew!) "At Five in the Afternoon" awakened me to the plight of the poor souls coping with the rubble and 19th century technology.

The film describes (teenaged) Noqreh's life as she attends school and struggles to discover her role in society now that "any" job is within her reach. She decides to become the country's President.

The zesalots may be gone ... but there's plenty of cranky, old, conservative men (her father among them) who long for the "good ole'days". The country's problems (among them: live buried mines, religious extremism, the absence of basic social commodities - water / education - after several wars) serve as the antagonist as Noqreh's father carts her and her extended family across the Afghan dustbowl in search of her brother, The film moves slowly and deliberately, but I guarantee you'll be paid for your time investment with a once in a lifetime education about Afghanistan.

I hope you find a copy or a showing, and allocate the 2 hours to let it wash over you and take hold.

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10 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
A postcard from Afganistan, 4 May 2006
6/10
Author: marinelad from Bosnia and Herzegovina

What made me write the comment about this film was the post signed by "ingemli". It is easy bullshitting arrogantly about this film while sitting in the air-conditioned cinema, eating pop corns and feeling sleepy. Samira Makhmalbaf went to Afganistan after the Taliban regime was toppled, and decided not to stay a silent observer of a hard life she faced with. Together with her famous father (Mohsen Makmalbaf wrote over 30 scenarios and directed about 20 films) she developed the script and was determined to film it in Afghanistan. It was difficult to find the actors, especially a native woman who would interpret the main character who shows her face, as the country lacks professional actors. Keeping all this in mind, it all ended pretty well with non-professionals. I am not telling that this film is a masterpiece, but it has its value and deserves respect. This is a tale of a young woman who, despite his father's religious fanaticism and prohibition that she goes to school, insists to get educated to become "the president of the republic". She goes to school without her father's knowledge, putting on the white high heels and uncovering her face. The shoes, actually pretty ugly and unsuitable for walking through the ruins, have strong symbolic meaning of her rebelled femininity. Ms. Makhmalbaf follows her heroine and hers family through the hard times of loosing illusions about the possibility not only for social advancement but simple survival. I knew this strange country only by bad news on TV. This film served as a window on its other, hidden side – the ordinary people's life struggle – and that's its most admiring part.

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6 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
A very serious message, 2 December 2004
Author: Ross-c from Leicester, England

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This is definitely not a movie to watch if you're after car crashes, action heroes saving the day, and happy, fully resolved endings. So, if that's what you're interested in, stick with the Hollywood blockbusters.

But, if you're prepared to look beneath the surface of a movie for the true meaning, and wish to be challenged by films, rather than just following a simple story, then this is definitely a film to see. If you expect all the actions of characters to be realistic, avoid. If you're prepared to accept that what you see on the screen may be a symbol, see this movie.

** SPOILERS **

While I don't want to give the story away, the film starts off full of hope, with the idea that a simple Afghani girl can sneak away from her father, obtain an education, and even become President of Afghanistan. A bit like 'The American Dream' as in any number of Hollywood films? Well, no. Even from the start there are subtle hints that this is just a delusion, and as the movie progresses, this becomes more and more obvious. And the ending is incredibly depressing as the true situation of the family is made clear. This is certainly a movie that made me think, and when I read newspaper articles and other news reports on Afghanistan, this is going to colour my view of what's written. And how many Bruce Willis epics can you say that about?

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7 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
A Tour through a Devastated Country, 7 September 2009
6/10
Author: Claudio Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

In a devastated Afghanistan post-Taliban, Nogreh is a woman that goes to a school without the knowledge of her conservative father that sees blasphemy everywhere. She dreams on becoming President of Afghanistan, but wears burqa and fears her father; she is interested to know whether there are other women presidents further to the Pakistani prime-minister Benazir Bhutto; and she wants to know their speeches to be elected president. Nogreh wanders with her father and her sister-in-law Leylomah with her baby in a buggy with their old horse. Leylomah is seeking-out her missing husband Akhtar and has problem to feed her baby due to her own starvation. Along their travel for survival, they see their country devastated by war and misery.

"Panj É Asr" is a very sad tour though Afghanistan, a country devastated by the civil war, the successive invasions and war against Russians and Americans and the Taliban regime since the 70's. It is impressive to see only ruins of former cities and palaces, and the poor and illiterate people dying without food or water. The ignorance of the common people and the treatment to the women are also amazing. This movie is a sort of documentary and despite the lack of resources and the flawed screenplay, the director Samira Makhmalbaf has the merit of exposing these wounds to the world. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Às Cinco da Tarde" ("At Five in the Afternoon")

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7 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
The most moving film in a decade...., 27 December 2004
10/10
Author: Galaxygl from Hawaii, United States

For me, this was the most moving film of the decade. Samira Makhmalbaf shows pure bravery and vision in the making. She has an intelligence and gift for speaking to the people, regardless of their nationality or beliefs. I am inspired and touched by her humanity and can only hope that she has touched many people the same way. Her message in this film is strong, simple and pure. The human soul can survive the most unheard of cruelties and repression, yet still have the capability to hope and dream even the biggest dreams. Under the most incredible circumstances, the most unexpected people rise up to be heroes. This young girl who has recently regained her voice, yet is still afraid to use her new found freedom, is our hero. She daydreams of becoming president of war torn Afghanistan, the only vision of power that she can imagine that could truly change her current situation. We catch a glimpse of her spirit while witnessing her hardships. In the end, we are left with hope, hope that when her young voice does eventually speak out, it speaks loud and clear for all to hear- sounding a message that transcends borders, nationality and religion. The true epitome of the phoenix rising from the ashes. Hats off to the simple tale of the complex truth.

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3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
When will five in the morning come?, 9 June 2006
8/10
Author: Furuya Shiro from Kumamoto, Japan

Was not the sanction against Taliban led by the US to bring dawn into Afghanistan? Noqreh goes back and forth between her father, who believes neither education nor jobs are necessary for women, and the school, where teachers encourage female students to have any job, even the president.

Her family generously offers the place they live to the refugees coming back from Pakistan. Soon they have to go out from there, and without food, the dream of becoming the president fades out. Her white shoes become useless.

It seems the whole of the movie is a poem. That a high school girl dreams to become the president is a poem too. Maybe it is the best way to describe the world Noqreh lives in, which is at five in the afternoon, not in the morning.

How can the country, where just seeing the face of woman is sin, be open to the world? The country which was destroyed and lagged a long way behind the world by men, who are taught as superior creatures than women. Only the belief that God never dies supports them. Tough I have my belief as a Christian, I never want to shut myself away into the world of illusion.

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6 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
Beautifully made, 1 October 2003
8/10
Author: Christos Dimitrakakis (olethrosdc) from Martigny, Switzerland

I loved the characters of the movie - the people were really *there* you could see them. Even though I did not understand the language and the subtitles were in French (which, since I am not very proficient in French, I had trouble reading sufficiently fast), I did appreciate the emotions conveyed by the protagonists. This movie might be a bit slow for some people - however I found the timing just right. A minor gripe is the sound - the recording is not particularly good and a lot of scenes are completely silent, apart from the audible tape hiss. The result is a a minor loss in atmosphere (The crackling of the fire, the sputtering of the lamp, the shifting under the blanket, the shallow sleeping breath, all could have added a lot to the silent scenes, if they were added at the barely-audible level).

Apart from that, it is very good. Check it out.

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Observational tale full of hope in post-Taliban Afghanistan, 16 January 2012
8/10
Author: tomgillespie2002 from United Kingdom

Nogreh (Agheleh Rezaie) is a young woman living in a post-Taliban Afghanistan. She ultimately seeks to be educated, and finds solace in a girl school promoting new ideals and attitudes to women. Even though the Taliban have been defeated in the country, old ways are still present and burqa's are still preferred. She lives with her Conservative father and her sister-in-law Leylomah, who is searching for her missing husband who has not returned from war. Also, Leylomah has a baby who she is struggling to feed after her milk dries up. Amongst these struggles, Nogreh is running for class president and uses a Pakistani refugee to help with her ultimate goal which is to become President of Afghanistan.

The title comes from Federico Garcia Lorca's poem Lament for Ignacio Sanchez Mejias, which tells the story of a famous bullfighter tragically coming to an end in the ring. It is repeated several times by the Pakistani character named 'Poet' (Razi Mohebi). Mejias was a real and popular figure in Spain, who returned to bullfighting after a long spell out only to be killed. The character of Nogreh has high hopes after Afghanistan is rejuvinated only to be disappointed by a country set in its ways. Although it is clearly an improvement, attitudes to women are still the same and are seen as the inferior sex. This is most evident in the scene where she poses for photographs which she plans to use in her class president campaign, only to have the photographer laugh in her face upon discovering she wants to eventually run for President of the country. While Lorca's poem is tragic and romantic, At Five in the Afternoon is observant and naturalistic.

It would be easy, given the recent history of Afghanistan, to weave a tale of despair and woe, but director Samira Makhmalbaf tells a story that is full of hope. This hope comes from the character of Nogreh, who is brilliantly portrayed by Rezaie. Although she is ultimately looked down upon, and is scared of her father finding out about her radical attitudes, she is determined, and represents Makhmalbaf's hope of a new generation of women that will rise up and compete against the men who have dominated the country for years, and have ultimately led to the deaths of thousands of its inhabitants and many wars. The underlying messages aren't rubbed in your face; they are instead laid out in real situations. The film won Jury Prize at Cannes, and is a shining light in what will hopefully become a New Wave in Middle Eastern film-making - God knows they have stories to tell.

www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

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