Reviewed by Michael Edwards
Stars Abbas Alijome, Abdolali Hoseinali, Nikbakht Noruz
Written by Marzieh Makhmalbaf
Produced by Maysam Makhmalbaf
Cinematography by Ostad Ali
Certification UK PG
Runtime 81 minutes
Directed by Hana Makhmalbaf
One of the slightly strager arthouse films you might encounter this summer, Buddha Collapsed out of Shame is a moving and interesting commentary on the plight of women in Afghanistan. The first feature from the 19 year old daughter of acclaimed Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf, the movie-cum-documentary is a strange mixture of the real and the surreal, the concocted and the captured.
Like her father, Hana has chosen to use children as a dramatic device to make her point. Following six year old Bakhtay, we witness her naive desire to go to school like her young male neighbour. We witness her set out to get the equipment she needs, to find the school and, most importantly, we witness the wall of prejudice she has to overcome in doing so. Poignant scenes such as her trying to earn the money to buy pencils and paper work well with the simple premise and refreshingly straightforward political message, but sadly she does not manage to maintain the tone throughout this unnecessarily meandering movie.
The scenes of simplicity, enacted by non-actors from the area, appropriate the honesty and clarity of expression so beautifully expounded by the masters of Italian neo-realism who have done so much to inspire third world cinema. The effectiveness of this tone is further enhanced by the amateurish feel of the film, with grainy cinematography and long street and scenery shots forcing the audience into this harsh reality painted on screen. But later scenes in which young Bakhtay is accosted and harrassed by a gang of young boys 'playing' at Taliban has more in common with the child version of Bugsy Malone (that Jodie Foster classic) than it does with the heart-rendingly astute artworks of the Italian masters.
Perhaps this change in tone stems from the desire to make this film feature length at all costs. With such a charming, simple and effective storyline Hana Makhmalbaf could have made a tremendous short film. But by stretching it just a little too thinly she has undone a lot of good work. Nonetheless it is clear that she is a talent for the future, and this film is a great illustrator of that fact.
• Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame at IMDb