Afghan Star (2009)

P365 Film #204

This documentary film is about Afghanistan’s version of American Idol, Afghan Star. It follows four different contestants trying to win the title - two men and two women. It’s in a post-Taliban-ruled Afghanistan (where dancing and music were literally banned), but things are still strict. The women in the show in particular come under fire, receiving death threats for dancing and simply appearing on the show. As a believer in human rights, and women’s rights in particular, I found this quite frustrating and hard to watch. It wasn’t the most well-made documentary, I felt, but its content is certainly interesting enough to watch. I’m just so glad I don’t live anywhere near that part of the world. Also, none of them actually seemed like good singers at all to me, but maybe it’s just a very different style than I’m used to.