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Plot

Writer/director Siddiq Barmak makes his film debut with Osama, the first all-Afghan feature released since the end of the Taliban rule. In the early days of the regime, a young girl (Marina Golbahari) and her widowed mother (Zobeydeh Sahar) participate in a demonstration for women's right to work. When the demonstration is broken up by the Taliban, they hide out with local street kid Espandi (Mohamad Aref Harat). When the Taliban take over a hospital where the mother secretly works, they are arrested and jailed. In order to go to work, the mother dresses the young girl as a boy. Forced to attend school, the girl reunites with Espandi, who refers to her as Osama. She struggles to maintain her disguise in order to survive. Osama won an honorable mention at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.
MPAA Rating:
PG-13 for mature thematic elements.
Genre(s):
Drama
Run Time:
82min.
Theatrical Release Date:
02/06/2004
DVD Release Date:
04/27/2004
Distributor(s):
United Artists
Director(s):
Siddiq Barmak
Starring:
Marina Golbahari , Khwaja Nader , Mohamad Aref Harat , Hamida Refah , Gol Rahman Ghorbandi
Themes:
Assumed Identities,Totalitarian States,Religious Zealotry,Social Injustice
Tone:
Austere,Bleak,Somber,Disturbing
Keywords:
Afghanistan,Taliban,disguise,girl,hidden-identity,misogyny,totalitarianism
Country of Origin:
USA - Limited (02-06-2004)
Language:
Pashto