Afghan Stories

In the wake of 9/11, filmmaker Taran Davies elected to go to Afghanistan to assess the effect that 24 years of war (both civil and against outside forces) has had on the lives of more than one generation. But first, Davies picks up Walied Osman, an Afghan-American (and one of the film's producers), visits an Afghan refugee living in Queens, and interviews displaced Afghanis living in exile just outside of Afghanistan. Step by step, Davies gets closer to his ultimate objective, offering a small intimate portrait of each family he encounters before finally meeting with native Afghanis, who think of their homeland as a place with a halcyon past and a hopeful future, but regret-filled present. While Davies' over-deliberate, segmented film will give viewers a perspective on Afghanistan unlike anything presented in the mainstream media, Afghan Stories ultimately disappoints both in its pacing and storytelling senses--becoming a rudderless narrative that fails to even accidentally arrive at any kind of revelation about the war-torn nation. Anecdotal and meandering, this is an optional purchase. [Note: Afghan Stories is also available on home video from Vanguard Cinema for $19.95 on VHS and $24.95 on DVD from most distributors.] Aud: C, P. (D. Fienberg)