Kabuli kid (2008)

A woman in a light-blue chadri abandons her infant in the backseat of a cab in the bustling streets of post-war Kabul.

Director:

Barmak Akram

Writer:

Barmak Akram

Stars:

Haji Gul Aser, Valéry Schatz, Amélie Glenn

3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Haji Gul Aser	...	Khaled
Valéry Schatz	...	Mathieu
Amélie Glenn	...	Marie
Mohammad Chafi Sahel	...	Baba
Leena Alam	...	Femme de Khaled (as Helena Alam)
Messi Gul	...	Bébé abandonné
Saleha Khan Gul	...	Fille de Khaled
Rohina Gul	...	Fille de Khaled
Mariam Hakimi	...	Fille de Khaled
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ahmad Mueid Zubair Farghand	...	Khalid's friend
Mustafa Haidari	...	Radio Journalist

Storyline

Kabul - a city struggling to recover from 25 years of warfare. Taxi driver Khaled picks up a woman and baby. Her face is hidden behind a blue burka. They settle on a price, she pays him and they drive off. The taxi arrives at its destination. The woman gets out and a new passenger climbs in... to find the baby still in the backseat. Khaled leaps out after the woman but she's vanished. He's left holding the baby - a 6-month-old boy. Who is the mother? How can he find her? He asks friends and strangers in the street. He returns to where he picked her up. Nothing. Fate has handed him a young life for which he feels more and more responsible. An eventful, chaotic, often highly comic journey through a city which is itself simply trying to survive. Poignant, rich, vibrant, Barmak Akram's debut feature is a remarkable portrait of one man's emotional awakening in a city returning to crazy life after 25 years of violent conflict. "CENTRO DO BRAZIL in Afghanistan."

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Plot Keywords:

kabul | taxi driver | afghanistan | 

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Taglines:

A realistic, chaotic and funny adventure in today's Kabul!

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Genres:

Drama

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User Reviews

Chaos and confusion in Kabul

Kabuli Kid directed by Barmak Akram is a France - Afghanistan co-production, which takes place in the capital city of Afghanistan, Kabul which has been under the pressure of Taliban management for over 25 years. Kabuli Kid is both artistic and entertaining, comical and political, calm and fast-paced film about a disordered city.

Khaled (Hadji Gul) is a taxi-driver, father of five girls, trying to make ends meet in Kabul. He drives around the city full of chaos, confusion and tanks. One day a woman dressed up in a blue burqa comes to his taxi with a young baby boy. As the woman leaves and the other customer comes in, the baby is still at the backseat. As Khaled tries to find the mother of the baby he starts to feel responsibility for it. Should he adopt the boy, since he has only got girls? What I know about Afghan culture it's very important to have a boy. The search for the unknown mother works as an allegory for war. The city is full of chaos and confusion -- full of tanks, violence and exploitation, orders and commands.

Khaled has an interesting hobby; he trains pigeons on his roof. In his opinion, it's not a suitable job for girls, even that his daughter would like to try it. Eventually Khaled's father takes his granddaughter to the roof. Kabuli Kid is basically a growth story; Khaled's journey to learn to approval and taking responsibility. In the end we get the solution and everything clears up. The city is no longer chaotic and confusing, but clear and functional. There's no tanks or traffic anymore. After this shot we see a block of birds, pigeons, flying away to freedom -- Kabuli Kid managed to create a redemption. Redeeming the viewer from the distressing Afghanistan reality. Kabuli Kid is funny and intelligent. It's a good description of Afghanistan under the Taliban management Highly recommended to everyone, a very good small film indeed.

Details

Official Sites:

Equation [France]

Country:

France Afghanistan

Language:

Pushto

Release Date:

29 April 2009 (France)

Also Known As:

Kabuli Kid - Eine Geschichte aus Afghanistan

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$55,685

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fidélité Films, 4 à 4 Productions, Les Auteurs Associés

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1