Just so...so bad

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Osama is touted as the first film made in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban, and it was shot in Kabul. That should be a warning. Works of art that are touted as the first this or that tend to be bad, their only distinction being their chronological primacy. Such was the case with the atrocious Eskimo film of a few years back called Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner. In a sense, Osama is merely an Afghani Atanarjuat. The story is virtually non-existent, save that the Taliban is bad, evil, etc. Can you say duh? Aside from that there is little else. The whole film by director Siddiq Barmak is a mess, the acting- all done with 'real people' shows why that fact is manifest, and the whole thing is merely a Right Wing screed- as much a propaganda film for that extreme of Americana as The Motorcycle Diaries was for the Left…. Unfortunately, the film never takes a stand politically, its screenplay is at a junior high school level, with some absurd symbolism- such as Osama jumping rope in prison, that is as hermetic as can be, unless we are to believe that this is the level of rebellion and hatred the Afghani populace can muster? The only good thing is that the film is relatively short- only 82 minutes. The cinematography by Ebrahim Ghafori never enthralls, despite the fantastic landscape of the tale, and the musical scoring, by Mohamhad Reza Darvishi, is standard issue quasi-Arabic stuff that gives absolutely no emotional cues, nor does anything to heighten nor enlighten what is seen.

I cannot help but wonder why's this considered a good movie? I also wonder, did Siddiq Barmak at that time even know what a real movie is supposed to be? Let's not get sidetracked into the "true story" aspect, please. Yes, the situation there was outrageous, all those destroyed lives due to religious fanaticism etc. Living in the enlightened Europe during the Internet age, I already knew all this, so while touching, I cannot say the images truly surprised or shocked me.Thus, while waiting for the story to crawl along, I couldn't help but be annoyed by the obvious flaws. Bland plot (to the point of non-existence), no interesting characters (except for Espandi, who at least managed to look alive during his screen time), poor pacing and uninspired scenery - they all point in a single direction. Writer, director and editor Siddiq Barmak just didn't have anything personal to say. And thus stands my question: why waste 80 minutes, if the story could as well be told in five?

This is a very sad movie. Also, a very unfortunate portrayal of the Taliban regime. For a lot of historical reasons, primarily due to humanity's need to care for its young, women have not had the opportunities that men have. However, until recently, very few men had much of an opportunity either. Even in the Western civilized world, 100 years ago and before it was difficult to live long enough to be able to procreate. With that said, I can understand why some cultures treat women differently than men -- even today. But, this movie goes way beyond that. Women certainly were denied many things in Europe and America 100 years ago -- but in no time in recorded history (that I know of)were women systematically treated this way. Without giving anything away, this movie ends very sadly and has a very sad premise. It needs to be seen though. It involves the systematic mistreatment of 1/2 of the population -- beyond anything other than systematic killing. Of course, if such cultures killed women they would cease to exist. Perhaps it shows a fate worse than death.

I saw this movie when it appeared on a local cable station. I am usually attracted to foreign films as Hollywood seems intent on focusing on old TV shows and comic book characters.The story takes place in Afghanistan under the tyrannical rule of the Taliban. I've never been to Afghanistan, but I have visited a third world country where the people lived in oppression. The plot summary says the film is inspired by a true story. It was not hard for me to believe that I was viewing what life was/is? like for people living under the Taliban (especially women).The film has English subtitles. If you are curious in seeing how the Afghans lived under the Taliban, this film should confirm your worst suspicions. I rated the film an eight, not based so much on the production, but mostly because of the content/relevancy.