Osama (2003)

After the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the restriction of women in public life, a pre-teen girl is forced to masquerade as a boy in order to find work to support her mother and grandmother.

Director:

Siddiq Barmak

Writer:

Siddiq Barmak

Stars:

Marina Golbahari, Zubaida Sahar, Khwaja Nader

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 14 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Marina Golbahari	...	Osama
Khwaja Nader
Mohammad Arif Herati	...	Espandi
Zubaida Sahar	...	Mother
Mohamad Haref Harati
Hamida Refah
Gul Rehman Ghorbandi	...	Moazin
Mohammad Nadir Khwaja	...	Mullah

Storyline

The Taliban are ruling Afghanistan, they being a repressive regime especially for women, who, among other things, are not allowed to work. This situation is especially difficult for one family consisting solely of three women representing three successive generations. All the males in their family have died in various Afghani wars. The mother had been working as a nurse in a hospital, but regardless of she not being allowed to work, the Taliban has cut off funding to the hospital. The mother and grandmother make what they feel is the only decision they can to survive: they will have the preteen daughter masquerade as a boy so that she can get a job to support the family. The daughter, feeling powerless, agrees despite being scared as if the Taliban discover her masquerade, she is certain they will kill her. Partly as a symbolic measure, the daughter plants a lock of her now cut hair in a pot so that her lost femininity can flourish. The only people outside the family who know of the ...

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Plot Keywords:

taliban | boy | girl | school | hair | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

Afghanistan Ireland Japan

Language:

Dari Pushto English French

Release Date:

27 June 2003 (Afghanistan)

Also Known As:

Afghan Zero nen

Filming Locations:

Kabul, Afghanistan

Box Office

Budget:

$46,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$51,969, 8 February 2004, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,127,331, 25 April 2004

Company Credits

Production Co:

Barmak Film,LeBrocquy Fraser Productions,NHK

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

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Goofs

The first time Osama is encouraged to climb the tree, the amount of light on her face changes between shots. The close shot shows the right side of her face in shadow, while in the long shot from the top of the tree all of her face is in sunlight.

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Connections

Referenced in 16 Days in Afghanistan (2007)

User Reviews

chillingly real

A powerful and disturbing film of what life was like under the oppressive Taliban rule. Maybe because the cast are not actors and it starts with a boy talking to the camera as if it's a documentary being made it feels like what unfolds is actually happening and this makes it a very real and chilling experience. A film that should be seen.(8/10)