Kabuli Kid (Barmak Akram, 2008): France

Reviewed by Chloe Seaman. Viewed at The Santa Barbara Film Festival.

When I walked out of the theater after watching Kabuli Kid, I felt more informed about the world than when I walked in. Barmak Akram makes a successful debut as director in this film that is a beautiful and interesting narrative that gives insight to life in Afghanistan.

Khaled (Hadji Gal) is a taxi driver in the aftermath of a country struggling from warfare for 25 years. One day he picks up a mysterious woman hidden by a blue veil and her 6-month old baby boy. She seems to be in a hurry and pays Khaled the fee right when she gets into the taxi. Then Khaled takes her to her destination and she slips out. When the next person gets into the car, he notices a baby in the back seat – the baby that the unidentified woman just left. Khaled is frantic in trying to find the mother and goes to every source he can think of.

The film as a whole was an interesting way to look at Afghani culture in the midst of a hostile and dangerous environment. The idea of a man doing everything in his power to get rid of the baby that is not his is a kind of parallel to how children are treated by regular civilians. Outside of Khaled’s personal struggle, we see scenes of everyday life – children begging on the streets and being called nasty names. The story does have a heartwarming quality to it as we see the loving relationship between Khaled and his daughters and also the way that even though he does not want to keep the baby, he still cares for it and makes sure he is well fed.

There is stillness to the mood of the film despite the chaotic environment. There is not much dialog, particularly in the first act, and there is not a lot of music. The contradicting affect between mood and the characters reality is intriguing as it allows the themes of the story to be revealed.

The film is also beautifully presented. The camera is close on the faces of the actors in times of conversation and pulled back to simply observe them in times when only subtext is being said. This was a nice film that deserves to be seen.

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Published:
01.27.09 / 9am
Category:
Films, Santa Barbara Film Festival 2009