Samira Makhmalbaf, the young Iranian film maker and daughter of renowned Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf, said in an introduction to this movie that she wants to show some images that really do exist but which people would prefer to look away and pretend they don't exist. To this aim she has certainly succeeded. Two Legged Horse makes for very uncomfortable viewing. The "story" is very simple: an old Afghan man hires a young Afghan boy at $1 a day to transport (horseback style) his crippled son around. The crippled boy's sadistic treatment of his "human horse" and the latter's total submission and slow metamorphosis into a horse are the counter points holding the film together. As usual with all Makhmalbaf films there are some haunting visual images.
Two Legged Horse conjures up Mohsen Makhmalbaf's Bicyclerun and Mehrjui's The Cow. One can not use the term "entertaining" for this film but it is certainly challenging and ultimately rewarding, if you can stay the course.
