hi,<br /><br />This was my first experience of an Afghani Film, and even though my family is not too keen about the movies i watch, they all gathered and watched this, at various points expressing shock and emotion at what they saw.<br /><br />The narrative of the film seems hesitant, delicate, unsure in its motion, but yet it has a very natural appeal and is definitely rich in meaning, and beautifully layered.<br /><br />The DVD i saw also had a featurette with an interview with Siddiq Barmak, the director, editor and writer for the film. His gentle and sincere stories about the movie give a deep insight into what the condition of people in that country is.<br /><br />I hate watching news, and these days no amount of disasters, riots or war stories affect me, because I simple don't feel like watching them anymore. Films like Osama, tell you true stories and that to me is the magic of the incredible medium called CINEMA.<br /><br />Siddiq Barmak mentions, in the intervew, Afghani people love to dance, sing and have a great attraction to watch movies... and of course, for a very long time, the had no access to cinema, sometimes a glimpse of some Russian movies maybe. He said the second day after the fall of the Taliban, they reopened a theater... and the people saw a Hindi movie, with dance and singing... and everyone in the theater danced and sang for the pleasure of it. I guess that moment is what cinema stands for.<br /><br />I hope to see a lot more from this now young nation of potential film makers... the actors in Osama are all off the streets. And the main character, Marina, well, she'd never even seen a television ever before.<br /><br />A peephole, in the least, OSAMA is a refreshing and touching film to watch... colourful, well framed and brutally honest.