Buzkashi Boys

I just got back from seeing the five Oscar-nominated live action shorts and was pleasantly surprised. After seeing a mediocre batch of animated shorts yesterday, I was so happy to see that the live action films are among the very best I've ever seen nominated.

This is the story of two boys--Rafi and Ahmad. Ahmad is an orphan and wanders the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan. Rafi is the son of a grouchy blacksmith. Both boys like to spend time together but Rafi's father often warns him to avoid the homeless boy. Both boys have dreams of growing up to become Buzkashi players--an odd game played on horseback where players rising horses try to drag a goat carcass to a circle while the other players try to stop him. Where this story goes ends up being very tragic and touching, but also vaguely unsatisfying simply because the other nominees are so strong. The film's strengths are its amazing location shooting (it's like a different planet), AMAZING child actors and nice cinematography. But, as I said, when the film ended I was left a bit flat. But, the filmmakers show amazing talent and I look forward to more of their work.

I saw a screening of this film near the director's hometown late last month and it is one of the best films I've seen this year. The director, Sam French gave an introduction and a Q&A afterwards. I'm watching it again now on the DVD I bought at the screening.

The director, his siblings and his mother have been family friends for almost 30 years which really makes this special for me. His mother was my art teacher in elementary school and attended my old church.

The film includes some excellent scenery and one of the few movies I know of that portrays Afghans in a positive light. I hope that the publicity from the nomination will encourage more people to see this film.