Search - Afghan Stories on DVD

Illuminating

Newton Munnow | Atlanta, Georgia | 01/16/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This documentary film seeks to open up a side to Afghanistan previously unseen by Western viewers. It's a personal film, the story of the director and an Afghan friend traveling around the country, seeing if they could unearth some sign of life in places destroyed by over twenty years of war. That alone was a revelation. Before seeing Afghan stories, it was easy to think of the nation as a terrorist state, but this films dips far enough into the past to unravel private histories, allowing us to get to know a handful of Afghans. Maybe they are, maybe they aren't symbolic of the rest of their people, but an obvious humanity is on display, as well as the danger and confusion of a people simultaneously suspicious and welcoming of the American bombardment that continues throughout the filming of this documentary. I actually saw this on the Sundance Channel, so I can't vouch for any extras in the DVD, but there's more to be learned here than in a hundred hours of network news."

Great for class, great for anyone!

Amber Hathaway | Boston, MA | 12/26/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This movie is a vivid, moving documentary about Afghans living in and out of Afghanistan in the period shortly following September 11th. The filmmakers visit people in the US, Canada, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan to get a picture of what life is like for Afghans with a variety of perspectives to share. I showed it in my high school humanities class paired with the novel Kite Runner and the students loved it; even they were no match for an emotional scene with a small child singing about wanting to return to Kabul. I recommend this for educators as well as anyone looking to see the more personal side of war-torn Afghanistan."