Kandahar

This timely and Taliban-topical Iranian film could have been an absorbing, penetrating portrait of frightful oppression in pre-9/11 Afghanistan. But it's woefully subverted by pretentious directing, unmistakably amateur performances, and an ending so vague it erases any power the picture might have had, leaving the viewer asking, "what the heck just happened?" Written and directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf (The Silence, A Moment of Innocence), the story follows an Afghan-Canadian journalist sneaking into her native land in an attempt to rescue a suicidal sister who can no longer bear her smothered, browbeaten existence under the nation's extremist Taliban regime. An often inarticulate and laborious effort, beset with obtuse storytelling and a bloated sense of artistic and didactic self-importance, Kandahar is nevertheless blessed with remarkably relevant themes, making it a film not only worth seeing at this moment in time, but also one sure to be sought after by world-cinema-knowledgeable patrons. Recommended, overall. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by star Nelofer Pazira, the 19-minute “Lifting the Veil” documentary featurette, text bios for Pazira and director Mohsen Makhmalbaf, a photo gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for one of 2002's most talked about films.] (R. Blackwelder)