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Movie Review for Kandahar
Movie Review for
Kandahar
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Kandahar | | |
| Also known as: | Qandahar, Safar e Gandehar, Safar e Ghandehar, Sun Behind the Moon |
92 Reviews total.
Release date: 12/14/2001
Run length: 85 mins.
Categories:
Art/Foreign
,
Drama
,
Thriller
Summary:
Nafas, a journalist, had fled her homeland of Afghanistan during its civil war with the Taliban. She had managed to escape to Canada where she could live a peaceful existence. However, after receiving a suicidal letter from her sister, who has vowed to put an end to her miserable life before the eclipse, Nafas plots to re-enter her turbulent homeland. She seeks to come to the aid of her desperate sister, who had remained behind in the city of Kandahar, after being maimed by a Taliban-planted landmine. Unable to enter Afghanistan through legal channels, the stealthy journalist slips across the Iran-Afghanistan border in a party of refugees and attempts to cross Afghanistan to reach her sister. What Nafas discovers is a ravaged nation where crushing poverty and mullah-decreed oppression reigns supreme; but simultaneously, she witnesses glimpses of humanity and slivers of hope that unexpectedly rise from the ruins of a destroyed nation.
Reviews of Kandahar
By
Jurgen Fauth
of About.com (7/0)
I would have recommended "Kandahar" at any time; current events make it a must-see film.
By
Rachel Sanders
of Apollo Guide (7/0)
The film gives a glimpse into a land that is as far removed from Western society as any in the wo...
By
Sandi Chaitram
of BBC (7/0)
Mohsen successfully merges fiction and fact to produce some astonishing imagery.
By
Roger Ebert
of Chicago Sun-Times (7/0)
Kandahar does not provide deeply drawn characters, memorable dialogue or an exciting climax. Its ...
By
Michael Wilmington
of Chicago Tribune (7/0)
A window on an Iran and an Afghanistan we should have taken account of long ago -- seen though a ...
By
Margaret A. McGurk
of Cincinnati Enquirer (7/0)
Both a fine example of the striking work being done by contemporary Iranian filmmakers and a near...
Reviews of Kandahar
By
Mark Palermo
of Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) (7/0)
Although a surreal darkness pervades several passages of Kandahar, through the misfortune of its ...
By
Mark Palermo
of Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) (7/0)
Although a surreal darkness pervades several passages of Kandahar, through the misfortune of its ...
By
Jeffrey M. Anderson
of Combustible Celluloid (7/0)
Offers filmgoers an astonishingly well-timed chance to learn the truth about the world today.
By
Harvey S. Karten
of Compuserve (7/0)
An engrossing, timely film with some improvised dialogue and not a single professional actor that...
By
Jeffrey Bruner
of Des Moines Register (7/0)
Kandahar works best as a semidocumentary, explaining the overwhelming hunger and poverty, the sav...
By
Jeff Vice
of Deseret News, Salt Lake City (6/1)
There's no denying the film has its share of fascinating moments -- or that, on whole, it has a l...
Reviews of Kandahar
By
Owen Gleiberman
of Entertainment Weekly (7/0)
There are moments of quiet power.
By
Jason Anderson
of eye WEEKLY (7/0)
Moving.
By
Walter Chaw
of Film Freak Central (7/0)
A collection of malformed ideas, ineffectual performances, and, perhaps unfortunately, the occasi...
By
Maria Garcia
of Film Journal International (7/0)
Didactic and slow-moving, it tests the endurance of even the most die-hard aficionado of Iranian ...
By
Jeremiah Kipp
of filmcritic.com (7/0)
Affecting and immediate.
By
Liam Lacey
of Globe and Mail (7/0)
Essential viewing.
Reviews of Kandahar
By
Ross Anthony
of Hollywood Report Card (7/0)
Cinematography and field acting/improvising is so strong and heartfelt, the imperfections are eas...
By
Eric Harrison
of Houston Chronicle (7/0)
The film is best appreciated as an open-ended 'fictional documentary' rather than a conventional ...
By
Steve Rhodes
of Internet Reviews (7/0)
Amateurishly made and acted, but its lifting of the veil of the oppression of women does have its...
By
Bruce Kirkland
of Jam! Movies (7/0)
A mediocre piece of cinema about something very important.
By
Bruce Kirkland
of Jam! Movies (7/0)
A mediocre piece of cinema about something very important.
By
Robert Roten
of Laramie Movie Scope (7/0)
An odd combination of fiction and fact, a sort of docudrama.
Reviews of Kandahar
By
Duane Dudek
of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (7/0)
Adds valuable perspective and context to the war in Afghanistan by providing ideas and images tha...
By
Marty Mapes
of Movie Habit (7/0)
Makhmalbaf takes us on a tour of life under the Taliban
By
Marty Mapes
of Movie Habit (7/0)
Makhmalbaf takes us on a tour of life under the Taliban
By
Frank Swietek
of One Guy's Opinion (7/0)
While one can easily respect the noble intentions behind it, one
has to admit that purely as a w...
By
Frank Swietek
of One Guy's Opinion (7/0)
While one can easily respect the noble intentions behind it, one
has to admit that purely as a w...
By
Dennis Schwartz
of Ozus' World Movie Reviews (7/0)
It's a film that is sometimes naive and at other times unsettling, but it has a rawness and power...
Reviews of Kandahar
By
Jon Popick
of Planet Sick-Boy (7/0)
It wants to be both a documentary and a feature film, but, sadly, it doesn't succeed with either.
By
Jon Popick
of Planet Sick-Boy (7/0)
It wants to be both a documentary and a feature film, but, sadly, it doesn't succeed with either.
By
Cynthia Fuchs
of PopMatters (7/0)
The timing doesn't make the film's timelessness any less acute or haunting.
By
James Kendrick
of Q Network Film Desk (7/0)
effective in replicating the disjointed nature of the world it depicts
By
Pam Grady
of Reel.com (7/0)
It's a powerful story of a people's struggle to survive that's more relevant than ever.
By
Laura Clifford
of Reeling Reviews (7/0)
some of the most haunting images of the year
Reviews of Kandahar
By
Robin Clifford
of Reeling Reviews (7/0)
"Kandahar" is one of the most poignant,
powerful films of the year and continues the golden age o...
By
James Berardinelli
of ReelViews (7/0)
Ultimately works far better as an educational tool than as a traditional narrative-bound motion p...
By
Peter Travers
of Rolling Stone (7/0)
You won't forget this film -- it's devastating.
By
Peter Travers
of Rolling Stone (7/0)
You won't forget this film -- it's devastating.
By
Joe Baltake
of Sacramento Bee (8/0)
Kandahar is forbidding and unforgiving -- and, also, unforgettable.
By
Mark Halverson
of Sacramento News & Review (7/0)
Unforgettable images resonate throughout Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf's compelling docudram...
Reviews of Kandahar
By
Jean Lowerison
of San Diego Metropolitan (7/0)
This film is more didactic and less cinematic than I might like, but Makhmalbaf speaks from the h...
By
Sean Axmaker
of Seattle Post-Intelligencer (7/0)
Makhmalbaf's astounding and haunting imagery tells a story of devastation, desperation and povert...
By
Moira MacDonald
of Seattle Times (7/0)
Although occasionally its narration is a bit halting and awkward, it's a lyrical, stunning pictur...
By
Sheila Whitaker
of Sight and Sound (7/0)
Tragically timely in the light of the current situation in Afghanistan.
By
Sheila Whitaker
of Sight and Sound (7/0)
Tragically timely in the light of the current situation in Afghanistan.
By
Ed Gonzalez
of Slant Magazine (7/0)
Kandahar is Mohsen Makhmalbaf's wondrously absurd, always evocative (though sometimes heavy-hande...
Reviews of Kandahar
By
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
of Spirituality and Practice (7/0)
A mesmerizing film about one young woman's quest for hope in war-torn Afghanistan where refugees ...
By
Rob Blackwelder
of SPLICEDWire (7/0)
While its themes are remarkably relevant, 'Kandahar' is otherwise an inarticulate, laborious effo...
By
John A. Nesbit
of ToxicUniverse.com (7/0)
This is one arthouse film that all Americans should seek out to gain a better understanding about...
By
John A. Nesbit
of ToxicUniverse.com (7/0)
This is one arthouse film that all Americans should seek out to gain a better understanding about...
By
Ken Fox
of TV Guide's Movie Guide (4/3)
Makhmalbaf shot this film under extremely difficult circumstances, and it sometimes shows; but it...
By
J. Hoberman
of Village Voice (7/0)
Feels truncated, but it communicates a certain urgency and at times a powerful sense of the absur...
Reviews of Kandahar
By
Stephen Hunter
of Washington Post (7/0)
It's a bleak testament to the pettiness of man -- or, in this case, men.
By
Lance Goldenberg
of Weekly Planet (Tampa, FL) (7/0)
As with so much in the Islamic world, there are things here that are profoundly beautiful, as wel...
By
Christopher Smith
of Bangor Daily News (Maine) (3/4) No reference
Kandahar consistently feels as if it was shot on the fly, which fuels its sense of urgency and de...
By
Christopher Smith
of Bangor Daily News (Maine) (3/4) No reference
Kandahar consistently feels as if it was shot on the fly, which fuels its sense of urgency and de...
By
Ed Scheid
of Boxoffice Magazine (3/4) No reference
A passionate indictment of a repressive dictatorship.
By
Ed Scheid
of Boxoffice Magazine (3/4) No reference
A passionate indictment of a repressive dictatorship.
Reviews of Kandahar
By
Dave Kehr
of Citysearch (3/4) No reference
Full of haunting images, both beautiful ... and disturbing.
By
Mark Freeman
of Critical Eye (3/4) No reference
'...doesn’t quite have the cohesion and power of the sublime Gabbeh... but still remains strong a...
By
Susan Stark
of Detroit News (3/4) No reference
Intense, anecdotal and empowered by perversely beautiful imagery.
By
Susan Stark
of Detroit News (3/4) No reference
Intense, anecdotal and empowered by perversely beautiful imagery.
By
Brent Simon
of Entertainment Today (3/4) No reference
[Let me] remove the wool over so many critics’ eyes and call Kandahar what it is: a boring, pedan...
By
Rich Cline
of Film Threat (3/4) No reference
The result is stunning -- both as a narrative film and as a document of the place and time.
Reviews of Kandahar
By
Donald Munro
of Fresno Bee (3/4) No reference
You feel like you're tromping through the desert sand yourself, never sure what's over the next d...
By
Bob Strauss
of Los Angeles Daily News (3/4) No reference
This movie blows away simple notions of good, bad and righteousness like so much dust in a sandst...
By
Kevin Thomas
of Los Angeles Times (3/4) No reference
Remarkably revealing and timely.
By
Chuck Rudolph
of Matinee Magazine (3/4) No reference
Reduces the magnitude of its subject’s impact from a scream to a whisper through sheer filmmaking...
By
Chuck Rudolph
of Matinee Magazine (3/4) No reference
Reduces the magnitude of its subject’s impact from a scream to a whisper through sheer filmmaking...
By
Rene Rodriguez
of Miami Herald (3/4) No reference
If the dramatics of the movie fail to engage as fully as they should, Kandahar remains fascinatin...
Reviews of Kandahar
By
Jeff Strickler
of Minneapolis Star Tribune (3/4) No reference
It's a simple series of snapshots from a country in pain.
By
Andrew Sarris
of New York Observer (3/4) No reference
We never see Nafas reach Kandahar, but we have been taken on a colorful and exhilarating trip jus...
By
Andrew Sarris
of New York Observer (3/4) No reference
We never see Nafas reach Kandahar, but we have been taken on a colorful and exhilarating trip jus...
By
Jonathan Foreman
of New York Post (3/4) No reference
Despite the self-consciousness and occasional crudeness of the exercise, there is often a viscera...
By
Jan Stuart
of Newsday (3/4) No reference
An eloquent and unshakable obituary to a reign of terror that defies comprehension.
By
Kim Morgan
of Oregonian (3/4) No reference
It's an eye-opener and, though flawed at times, truly potent.
Reviews of Kandahar
By
Kim Morgan
of Oregonian (3/4) No reference
It's an eye-opener and, though flawed at times, truly potent.
By
Jay Boyar
of Orlando Sentinel (3/4) No reference
Its themes are universal, its performances are effective in their simplicity and the direction is...
By
Steve Schneider
of Orlando Weekly (3/4) No reference
Makes up in indignation, passion and poetry what it lacks in filmmaking gloss.
By
Steve Schneider
of Orlando Weekly (3/4) No reference
Makes up in indignation, passion and poetry what it lacks in filmmaking gloss.
By
Sean Means
of Salt Lake Tribune (3/4) No reference
Makhmalbaf gives Kandahar an eerie grace, making it not only a timely movie but a poetic one.
By
Sean Means
of Salt Lake Tribune (3/4) No reference
Makhmalbaf gives Kandahar an eerie grace, making it not only a timely movie but a poetic one.
Reviews of Kandahar
By
Jessica Yadegaran
of San Diego Union-Tribune (3/4) No reference
Kandahar's penetrating visuals -- and educational component -- compensate for its slow start and ...
By
Laura Kelly
of South Florida Sun-Sentinel (3/4) No reference
The film's physical and thematic terrain, that of Afghanistan and the struggles of its people, re...
By
Laura Kelly
of South Florida Sun-Sentinel (3/4) No reference
The film's physical and thematic terrain, that of Afghanistan and the struggles of its people, re...
By
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
of St. Paul Pioneer Press (3/4) No reference
Although it's unevenly acted, Kandahar is a devastating film.
By
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
of St. Paul Pioneer Press (3/4) No reference
Although it's unevenly acted, Kandahar is a devastating film.
By
Peter Howell
of Toronto Star (3/4) No reference
Kandahar, graced with cinematography that is beautiful even in its desolation, is more of a docum...
Reviews of Kandahar
By
Desson Thomson
of Washington Post (3/4) No reference
Though it might lack in Hollywood production values, it overflows with moral impact.
By
Desson Thomson
of Washington Post (3/4) No reference
Though it might lack in Hollywood production values, it overflows with moral impact.
Movie Distributors Production Companies
Makhmalbaf Film House Movie Studios
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