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In Reply to: Kandahar was all about subtlety posted by Doug Flynn on April 3, 2005 at 00:48:30:
...that most viewers are a little put off by the existential, subjective POV and pacing. They want more action, without noticing that quite a lot is going on. They want 3 acts and a resolution in the end.You are right on, in Kandahar, subtext is everything and the ending is open-ended. OTOH, neither Hollywood nor Spielberg would ever make this movie anyway...which is why I was so happy it WAS produced.
BTW, you didn't really mean "cloying" (not a compliment) did you? Perhaps just "clausterphobic" or "smothering"? As a woman, you can imagine how uncomfortable seeing women smothered in bourkas made me feel. It is a very effective literally and metaphorically for the Taliban's repression.
Follow Ups:
Yes, I forgot to add that the ending was magnificent. Those shots from behind the feet of the Taliban (the only time you see the Taliban in the whole movie), and the view from behind the veil looking into the setting sun just outside the city of Kandahar made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Like you said, it's the complete opposite of what an ending is supposed to be, yet it still made sense.By "cloying" I didn't mean a criticism. I meant claustrophobic, boxed in, a sense of helplessness and a loss of control. All intentional, and what makes the movie so great.
I just had a thought that the movie reminded me of the surrealist/existentialist Persian novel "The Blind Owl" by Sedagh Hedayat (an unknown masterpiece IMHO) in that it has an opium dream, hallucinatory quality about it (not that I know what an opium dream is like!).
I think most people viewed the movie as a "right on" tirade against the dreaded Taliban (if the movie had been made at any other time it probably would have been ignored). They don't appreciate the existentialist nature of the movie. Pity. I'm glad you "got it".
Cheers. Doug
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