A Dream for Kabul

Philippe Baylaucq's documentary focuses on the unusual mission of Haruhiro Shiratori, a Japanese national whose life was bracketed with military violence: as a child, Shiratori witnessed U.S. bombings of Tokyo during World War II; as a parent, he lost his only son in the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Interestingly, Shiratori decided to memorialize his son through the construction of a peace park and children's cultural center in Afghanistan. A Dream for Kabul traces his efforts to raise funds for the project while traveling across three continents. Although his intent is commendable—the project envisions a school, a reservoir, and a garden overlooking Kabul—it is often difficult to understand Shiratori's reasoning, as the Afghan government is both ill-equipped to coordinate this type of undertaking (the corruption and incompetence of the local bureaucrats are staggering) and more than a little confused as to why Shiratori is so adamant in pursuing it (indeed, the viewer may wonder whether Shiratori is genuinely trying to bring tranquility and peace to the Afghan capital, or engaging in an elaborate cathartic exercise designed to attain some inner tranquility). Regardless, the man's indefatigable persistence remains compelling, making this a consistently interesting personal profile. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)