Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame - 32th HKIFF
First of the 11 films that I have watched over the last Easter holiday at the festival, and one of the many films about the life of children in the contemporary society. This is a powerful film from the youngest member of the Makhmalbaf family, Hana Makhmalbaf. Her works follows the fine tradition of her family, focusing how life in the middle east, esp. in places like Iran or Afghanistan's, goes on amid decades of war and social issue with women in a Muslim society. Perhaps a very striking study on how war had affected our youngest generation. The protagonist here was a six years old girl (played by Nikbakht Noruz), who really wanted to get to school to "learn funny stories". Her innocence, cuteness, if not, her round little face, had been the focal point of the visual image. She is as adoring and charming as she can be in front of the camera. That's why when she counter numerous difficulties, some almost leads to injuries, even death, have made us the audiences almost become unbearable to look at her, going through all these traumatised moments.
Many reference, if not too many, are made on how the war-torn countries had been gone through these years. Kids playing nothing but war games, try to mimic what their adult (parents) is doing to one another. And their attitude towards "who's the enemy" here was shown without much subtlety here, for example, from being Afghan Taliban solider with simple stick as their weapon, to American solider who holding larger/thicker sticks which are bonded together, representing a much more "advance" machine guns. There are images/scenes which are so striking and heavy, such as Nikbakht almost being stoned to death because she carries lipstick around, that makes the film almost unbearable at certain point.
It doesn't give much relief at the end of the film, nor any blighter hope had been offered. The film starts and finishes with literally a "bang", the destruction of the giant wall Buddha, and words such as, "die, so that you can become free again".
Is the future really this hopeless? Perhaps it is...from what we have read on the news everyday.
Many reference, if not too many, are made on how the war-torn countries had been gone through these years. Kids playing nothing but war games, try to mimic what their adult (parents) is doing to one another. And their attitude towards "who's the enemy" here was shown without much subtlety here, for example, from being Afghan Taliban solider with simple stick as their weapon, to American solider who holding larger/thicker sticks which are bonded together, representing a much more "advance" machine guns. There are images/scenes which are so striking and heavy, such as Nikbakht almost being stoned to death because she carries lipstick around, that makes the film almost unbearable at certain point.
It doesn't give much relief at the end of the film, nor any blighter hope had been offered. The film starts and finishes with literally a "bang", the destruction of the giant wall Buddha, and words such as, "die, so that you can become free again".
Is the future really this hopeless? Perhaps it is...from what we have read on the news everyday.
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