Ariel J. Nasr's alternately inspiring and dispiriting National Film Board of Canada documentary profiles a female boxing club in Afghanistan. The participants—who take their training seriously—aim to compete in the 2012 Olympics, but don't have the money for proper uniforms and equipment (the women work out in the national stadium where public executions used to take place). Nonetheless, their coach—Sabir Sharifi, who formed the group in 2007—expresses gratitude that the Taliban are no longer around to obstruct women's efforts to pursue their athletic dreams. In his younger days, Sharifi looked forward to boxing at the Los Angeles Olympics, but then the Soviets invaded. Now he pins his hopes on a new team, which includes sisters Sadaf and Shabnam Rahimi, who have their mother's support (for their protection, she moved them to Iran for eight years, at which point they took up sports). Says 16-year-old Sadaf, "When I box, I feel happy." Some of her female neighbors, on the other hand, can't even attend school or leave the house. Although Shahla Sekandari has received her father's blessing, her mother and brother haven't been as encouraging, the latter complaining that other men make fun of him (he's also worried for her safety). During the course of the film, the girls travel to Vietnam and Kazakhstan, where they enter rings for the first time, competing against boxers from better funded programs. If they don't go as far as they would like, it's still a first step, although they return home to more criticism than acclaim. An interesting sports documentary with sociopolitical overtones, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)
The Boxing Girls of Kabul
(2011) 52 min. DVD: $195. National Film Board of Canada. PPR. Volume 27, Issue 6
The Boxing Girls of Kabul
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: