Bread & Roses

Greetings again from the darkness. After so many decades of groups fighting to gain acceptance and rights and freedom, it seems recently there has been entirely too much focus on removing rights from some. Likely the most harrowing example of this is what's described as lightning striking in August 2021 when the Taliban entered Afghanistan. Documentarian Sahra Mani goes deep inside the country to show and tell the personal stories of three Afghan women.

Life is described as "normal" prior to the Taliban takeover. Zahra was a working dentist and recently engaged to Omid. There is happiness in the families and community. Soon, Zahra's dental office becomes a clandestine meeting place for activists seeking a way to rebel without getting detained or tortured. Taranom struggles with the isolation that goes with living in a safe house away from her community, while Sharifa serves as the most common example of women stuck at home with few liberties. If you need a definition of systemic oppression, this film provides it.

No education past sixth grade. No speaking in public. Very limited job opportunities. This new world finds women are first oppressed at home via fathers, brothers, and husbands, and then from a larger perspective by the Taliban. Activism and resistance require great courage, and those involved in the Civil Rebellion prefer peaceful protests, not violence. Their chants of "Education is our right" and "Work, bread, education" are simple and direct.

Prevented from leaving the country - there's always a documentation issue with visas - the women who are able form backroom schools and work strategically against Taliban mandates. Zahar is even arrested and later goes missing for months. This is the life of women whose personal rights have been stripped. Director Sahra Mani ends with updates on Zahar, Taranom, and Sharifa, and the film serves as a gut-wrenching viewing experience for those who have gotten 'comfortable' with the phrase 'Taliban mandates'. This is a plea for attention and assistance. Producers on the film include Jennifer Lawrence and Malala Yousafzai.

On Apple TV+ beginning November 22, 2024.

As "Bread & Roses" (2023 release from Afghanistan; 88 min) opens, we are introduced to an Afghani woman wo is lamenting that "suddenly the sky was raining stones" (referring to the Taliban overtaking Kabul in August 20, 2021. We are also introduced to a woman dentist, who is afraid that she may not longer ne allows to run her dentist practice. At this point we are less than 10 minutes into the movie.

Couple of comments: this is the latest from Afghani documentarian Sahra Mani ("A Thousand Girls Like Me"). Here she brings us the desperate and harrowing situation of women and girls under the Taliban rule: no school, no work, basically under house arrest 24/7. "We are slaves" comments one of the women. And still in the initial period following August, 2021, some very brave women demonstrate for women's rights. We all know how that turned out. Beware: some of the footage is sickening. Much (but not all) of the footage in this documentary comes from the smart phones of these women (which at times is rough). While the last hasn't been said on these issues, this film is a timely reminder that in Afghanistan, half of the population has been canceled. Please note that this film should not have been titled "Bread & Roses" (a reference to the early 20th century women's suffrage campaign). The correct title is "Work, Bread, Education", the slogan that the Afghan women and girls shout out time and again in their fight to be heard. Last but not least, this film was co-produced by Jennifer Lawrence's production house Excellent Cadaver.

"Bread & Roses" premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival (yes, 18 months ago). It currently is rated 81% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. It started streaming on Apple TC just a few days ago. IF you have any interest in women's rights or what daily life is like under the Taliban rule, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.

When the Taliban resumed control of Afghanistan with its takeover of Kabul in August 2021, virtually all of the progress that had been made in bringing democracy and a more open-minded outlook to the nation was wiped out in a heartbeat. That's particularly true when it came to the regime's treatment of women. Despite representing half of the country's population, women and girls were systematically subjugated to the autocratic rule of the Taliban's brutal misogynist warlords. Women were forbidden from working, forced to stay at home, and girls' schools were summarily closed, their hopes of better lives dashed. And those who refused to comply with these dictates were routinely beaten, imprisoned or killed for their actions. This was especially true among the rising tide of activists who fought against these measures. The unbridled tyranny unleashed against these intrepid advocates provides the focus of this insightful and chilling new documentary from director Sahra Mani, providing a personal perspective on what these fiercely determined mavericks have been up against. Their unwillingness to back down, even in the face of severe consequences, is indeed inspiring as they struggle to survive and refuse to go back to the way things once were. It's an important story that needs to be told, and, from an anecdotal standpoint, the filmmaker does a superb job in depicting the ordeals these women have had to endure. Despite this strength, however, this production could have benefitted from the inclusion of some much-needed background, placing the stories of these heroes in a more relatable, understandable context. That's especially true given that the personal material - as well presented as it is - tends to become somewhat repetitive as the picture plays out. I fully appreciate the hardships involved in filming a project like this, and the director and crew are to be commended for their daring efforts. However, the overall approach used here comes up a little short in making the impact that it could have made if it had been augmented with content that shines a spotlight on the breadth of the issues at play in this story. The women deserve that. Afghanistan deserves that. And the world needs to know the full extent of what's going on here if change is ever to come.