Veils Did Not Veil- OSAMA
A. The director’s Background
B. Movie Synopsis
C. Objective View VS Subjective View
D. Sexual Discrimination
E. Personal opinion
A. The director’s Background:
1992-1996: This piece of director - Siddiq Barmakno as a leader in the Afghan movie organization. Before this, he was one of the aides to Ahmed Shah Massoud who was Afghanistan’s national hero during the Soviet invasion and in the Taliban resistance.
In 1996: Taliban is in power, Siddiq Barmakno exiled to Pakistan, and all properties are confiscated by Taliban.
In October, 2001: The United States military starts to raid Afghanistan.
In November, 2001: The Taliban controlling force weakens; the hostile north alliance snatches the nearly half Afghan territory.
In December, 2001: Taliban collapses.
On December 22, 2001: The Afghan provisional government had been established.
In February, 2002: Siddiq Barmakno returns to Afghanistan.
In June, 2002: This piece begins shooting.
In March, 2003: shooting over.
B. Movie Synopsis:
As Taliban's political power rule Afghan, woman can not go out without male accompanied. A 12-year-old young girl, OSAMA, in order to support the mother and the grandmother, obeys mother's wish and disguises herself as the male to have the job. However, the result at an accident, her status is revealed…
C. Objective View VS Subjective View:
In the movie, the director seems want to show audience how pitiful Afghan’s life. First the director try to use as documentary way to depict women whose husbands died or without man relatives companied; they could not go out alone in Afghan. And the director also shot how brutal Taliban is in the scene which the soldiers shot water and bullets to those holding-slogans women. With tears, frightened girl sheltered in her home, it is quite possible that most audience will be astonished and ask themselves: is it true? Or it is just exaggeration? And how this kind of cruel behavior can be exited in the world and why there is no body or nation attacks Taliban? In stead of show why Taliban want to forbidden women going out alone without man relatives or other unfair laws (not made by Taliban).
However, as the movie goes, the documentary way changed if audience can “jump out” of the movie, it is clear that objective view about how poor Afghan’s life turns into how pity, how sad is the girl’s life made by Taliban when she teased by boys in the military or be the old man’s wife. In the almost last 1/2 of the movie, just the director’s resentful feeling about Taliban (or can I say the girl is only propaganda to against Taliban?). It is of course, the director adds his view point, feeling in the movie. He dismissed the important facts (Afghan women’s life),however, using lots of tears to complain Taliban.
In fact, people in the world know Taliban exited almost due to the 911 in US. As US government said they wanted to seek peace in the world and pointed that the terrorists are Taliban. So whenever people heard Taliban, they may say” oh, I know they are terrorists because they killed thousands people in 911. But do people really try to think why Taliban want to do that? (just because they are terrorists?) And is Taliban really notorious to attack any nation in the world? The answer is obviously: almost people do not think; they just accept what “western media” reported. Moreover, as I know Taliban has controlled Afghan 5 years, but there is no nay nation to help the hostile union to fight Taliban in time. After America is attacked, then many nations support America to fight for human’s “peace and justice” immediately. So for how Afghan women saved from Taliban, one of the reasons could be “thanks they attacked America?” Finally, in the end of the movie, when the old man with”friendly” laughter, carrying a chain of locks, wanted the girl to choose one. Some audience will also go in mind:” it is all due to Taliban! It is all Taliban’s fault!” If the audience really thought in that way, the director is successful to achieve his goal. The chain of locks is a metaphor as the control of Taliban, but the Big one lock showing after that, actually, in my mind is the Afghan women deeply sorrow from thousand year ago. But the most worse is The lock is never with the key!
D. Sexual Discrimination:
In the movie, obviously, the Afghan male and female is not equal right reality. Afghanistan is always patriarchy, the man deems the woman showing her toes will lose his face and if man let his wife speak to other man is also great shame. But if all men in the family are dead, how did women live? So in the movie, the old grandmother repeats rainbow story to comfort her clipped-hair granddaughter so that she can walk in public alone and make money. And when the girl in the military, boys teasing her and betted she is not a boy certainly. They want “him” to prove he is real man by climbing a tree. As “he” climbed on the top of a tree, all boys are astonished. How ironic is!
Furthermore, the director also show how different life styles between Afghan man and woman. Men have to study Koran and serve military, they also can walk on the street alone. What woman wants is just ask to work for live, but men and Taliban forbidden them (Taliban just forbidden women’s right more strictly!). However, can we blame only Afghan men and Taliban for these pitiful women? Of course not, except Taliban political power, after it is the Islam religious doctrine. Continuously, woman wears the veil, certainly not completely is because Taliban forces, but these Islam religious doctrines. In Koran the man and woman originally "different", the veil represents to the woman chastely. Whenever or wherever you are, if you were women Islam, you must wear veil and obey men. Afghan man’s thought, no doubt, is wrong but the biggest devil is Koran! After 1100 religion and society brainwashed, what women veil them is not forced by man, she voluntarily ties up, however.（voluntary!? IS IT TRUE OR NOT? IT IS SO HRAD TO ANSWER! ）
Moreover, one of the scenes which impacts me most is when the girl’s mother says wishing god do not create women, because she only has a daughter; after that, one scene, the girl ran back to home and cried say one Taliban solider after her. Her mother said to her:” SHAME ON YOU!” and the girl’s face shows she is heart broken. Maybe the mother is angry about her daughter revealed her identity that will endanger them. But what I feel is a woman decimalizes another immature woman! Why and how it could be happened?! Even women themselves think their status are lower than men or they are not “useful”, how they could fight for their work right, the equal right with man successfully?? The other scene is the boy who helped the girl in the military several times, when the girl’s identity revealed, he can not do anything to save her, tears dropping from his face. He knew that he also could not revolt the Taliban (in my opinion is not Taliban but “Islam doctrine”.) This scene just shows how much influences of Koran and society customs on Afghan female or male’s thoughts and behaviors.
E. Personal opinion:
Just as I put in the A part, the director is one of the hostile alliance to Taliban. In this movie, we can see how pitiful Afghan female who under Taliban. But just it, I can not see any more than what director want to express. Of course, I see lots of woman’s demonstration and how the girl’s tragic life. However, the director seems just want to let audience know;” see these women’s tragic situations; this all is because of Taliban!”、” The Taliban is devil extremely, can you see that?” So long as Taliban had collapsed, the woman was saved! Therefore, in the movie the girl is scared and always tears on her face like a frightened rabbit, director uses this way to vigorously complain Taliban.
But as what I said, in fact, the appearance of Taliban is not unclear at all. When Bush in order to invade Afghanistan justifiable, he uses propaganda to depict how brutal Taliban to the common people. But we besides all regard as Taliban are devil; there is another method to be allowed to understand them? On western media Taliban only are terrorists ,however, this movie which came from Afghanistan, the director still only uses the frightened young girl, presented him to Taliban's depth hostility. Actually Afghanistan's north alliance and Taliban already hit more than 10 years, only when America want to catch “Osama Bin Laden”, common people "suddenly discovered" Taliban's brutality. And also after the Taliban political power fallen, only then once was a north alliance Afghanistan – director shot this movie to complain Taliban. But is it enough? Maybe the movie should provide Taliban’s argument to let audience know different opinion! Furthermore, I think if the director just wants to show how pitiful Afghan women are, the movie should show why (Society custom? Religion? Politics? or other reason) instead of only showing Taliban.
The angle starts from objective from subjective in the middle of movie, the director do not depict what the twelve year old girl’s thought and other women’s thought about society or religion, just ask the girl be frightened, frightened and frightened of Taliban. The lens just as the women’s veil, I still do not know how these women’s feeling (like if they want to obey Koran? they really think they should have the equal rights with men? or take off the veils and so on). After seeing this movie, some people might just think if Afghan women can wear miniskirts instead of veils, they would be very happy .After all, the biggest problem- Taliban is solved!
Resource:
http://www.osamamovie.com/ 
