February 19, 2005
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Questions from a Wonderstruck Me
Tonight my partner and I watched the 2003 film Osama, directed by Siddiq Barmak. The film depicts the struggles of Afgan women under Taliban rule through the story of a 12 year old girl who is forced to act like a boy in order to work to support her widowed mother and her sickly grandmother. The movie features genuine performances by untrained actors whose experiences with Taliban rule are so recent that their emotions emerge effortlessly and with startling urgency. These are people who have a story to tell, and are thirsty to tell it. The film is beautiful in its cathartic release, however it features a few scenes that leave foreign audiences needing to know more. After a few unfruitful attempts at souring the Internet for answers (“women’s human rights infringements under Taliban rule” turns up so very many sites, you see), I turn to you, my bright fellow Xanga authors, in search of clarity.
In one scene, the Taliban principal of the young protagonist’s school was suspicious of her actual sex. He strapped her to an apparatus that dangled her over what appeared to be a well in an attempt to discover is she was a boy or a girl. She was reveled to be a girl when, after intense sobbing, she was lifted from the well and blood streamed down her legs. I was unsure of how to interpret this—it didn’t appear to be menstrual blood—it was more like the blood of a gushing wound than of a shed uterine lining, and besides that, the protagonist seemed too undeveloped to have yet started her period. I thought it might have been some sort of hymen popping machine, but if it were shoved between anyone’s legs, boy or girl, and then blood would surely appear, proving nothing.
In another scene, our young protagonist has been married off to an old, lecherous man. On the night they are to consummate their marriage, he holds up a stick, from which metal padlock-looking items dangled. He asked her to choose one. She cried and backed away in horror. My first thought was, “are those chastity belts?” But as our young protagonist was about to loose her virginity to this bearded old goat, it is more likely that they were something else entirely.
If anyone has any idea what these two items might be, please leave me a comment or an email. I’ll continue scouting about online and I’ll hopefully have an answer to share with you all.
I highly recommend this movie. The creators of this film seemed like swimmers emerging from the water’s heavy surface-their lungs eager to inhale the sweetness of life, relieved and euphoric to tell their story. This is freedom. This is a director that has his chance to speak to the entire world, and lucky for us, he does not squander it.
Comments (11)
Hi there.
Thanks for the kind words over on my site. Took a peek over here – no insight into the Taliban culture, though the movie sounds fascinating, though disturbing. It’s easy to forget so many thing that we take for granted. Thanks for the reminder. When I get a break from my studies, I’ll take a look at the movie.
All the best.
-foodgeek
Hello, I wanted to say thanks for dropping by my site, glad you enjoyed the pictures.
This is an interesting topic. I have traveled a bit through the United Arab Emirates, and visited Bahrain several times. What little reading I’ve done on the Islamic culture never touched on either of the two things you mention, but there’s a lot under the surface that would just creep us American women out if we only knew about it. To put it mildly.
Now I’ll have to see this movie, thanks for raising my awareness of it. The treatment of women under the Taliban is absolutely horrifying – I have seen video clips of women being stoned, buried to their waists with a white veil over them, the better to show the blood. Those of us fortunate to be living in the Western world need to pay more attention to what is happening to our sisters elsewhere in the world.
My guesses on these two things: 1) wouldn’t surprise me if it was a genitalia thing. Female circumcision is very common in strict religious corners. That may have been their way of representing it? 2) I gotta see the movie to see what you’re talking about here. Could very well be a chastity belt, for her to wear whenever she is not with him. Now you’ve got me so very very curious. If you should figure this out before I do, please post.
Hmm. I have no idea. Must rent. Wonder if Blockbuster stocks it? Which reminds me… I have two overdue videos.My guess about the blood though: maybe it just didn’t look like period blood because they used fake blood to represent it?
Thanks for your comment…
I’m sure I’ll be spending a lot of time in the writing center, because I have a learning disorder, that cause me to miss alot of errors like commas and what not.
I know it is pricey to live in the dorm but for my first year, I think is it important. Plus it includes food at the UCC.
Thanks for the tip on the gen eds….I was already thinking about that because of the money issue.
thanks for the advice.
:~}
Probably it’s never a good idea to cast Keannu Reeves as someone who is supposed to be romantically interesting. Even Jack Nicholson has got more appeal. Although, I kind of like Rachel Weisz, if only because she’s somewhat believable as a cop turned psychic.
Hey! I just saw your comment on that social theory essay I wrote. Thanks for actually reading! I know it was like 8,700 pages long! Did you ever find the answer to your questions?
I thought I posted something about this post, but I guess not. Hope to see a new post from you soon! I love to read your Xanga!
Ditto to what rainingheart said. Anyway, lol about Joan Rivers and the Gravitron!
Non_Featured_Content is now Open!Your site is now being featured in the March edition of Non_Featured_Content.Choose Freedom of Speech.-The BXU! Team
Saw you were featured on non-featured content, so I voted for you. I voted for M-Dic, too, best of luck to both of you.
Now I’m curious about the two things you mentioned. Not having seen the film, I have no opinion of my own, but it appears those two scenes have also flummoxed viewers on the IMDB discussion board for this movie. The lock thingy is apparently that the mullah is allowing the girl to choose which lock we will be locked into her house/room with, as the mullah keeps all his other wives locked up. It is supposed to be ironic that the only choice for a woman in that society is which lock she will be locked up with. By contrast, in the US she would be allowed to choose what color Juicy Couture sweatpants she would wear to yoga, but she wouldn’t be allowed to pull them up high enough to cover her ass crack. Is it progress? I think so – but we can do better!
The bleeding thing I don’t know, but I’ll bet it has something to do with vaginas.