Jirga

Former Aussie soldier Mike Wheeler (Sam Smith) is returning to Afghanistan after a 3 year absence. His goal is to achieve forgiveness from the family of a man he killed there in a raid.

Lots of realism and humanness emanates from this movie, although from time to time a few of the plot elements come across as implausible. The naturalness of the acting is impressive, and the cinematography is striking.

Overall for me, it was a journey worth taking.

Set and shot in Afghanistan, Jirga is the story of former Australian soldier, Mike (played brilliantly by Sam Smith), who returns to Afghanistan after three years to find the family of a civilian he accidentally killed during the war. Seeking forgiveness, he gets a driver to take him from Kabul to Taliban held Kandahar where he puts his life in the hands of the village justice system - the Jirga.

Told with the intimacy and realism of a documentary, this is actually a drama set against the background of the immense Afghan landscape; sharp mountains, buttes, stony deserts and dust. But there are also surreal moments in a pristine, blue lake with a pink swan paddle boat. The young Australian is the outsider and definitely no longer in the dominant position he was. It's a measured story of the meeting of cultures and a perspective on Australia's longest war that we have not seen before. The action throws up moral and ethical choices for all, making this beautifully crafted thriller concise, powerful and compelling. The portrayals are rich and the characters are easy to identify with, the camera work superb. Jirga is highly recommended and this week's Movie Of The Week Let's Go To The Pictures Three D Radio, Adelaide

A very well done movie because you didn't really know what was going to happen to him.

Clearly forgiveness and understanding is much better than war.

For the person who reviewed this film suggesting it was the most boring film of the year, stick to Fast and Furious. I think Fast and Furious 23 comes out soon.-

A suspenseful and moving film. A wonderful piece of work. An eye opener for people who doesn't know anything about Afghanistan and it's people. The actors are amazing and you don't feel like you are a watching a movie. A must see. Highly recommended.

Jirga: An Afghan court of tribal elders. Positive: Showed the countryside; the markets of Afghanistan, and some of it's peoples as our ex-Aussie soldier travels to ask forgiveness of a family for the mistaken killing of their father. As to the war it brings up the question of, "Do the means justify the end?" Perhaps it should be the other way around, "Does the end justify the means?" Negative: We do not see the Taliban for its male centric treatment of females; amongst the worst of any country on Earth. Nor it's disregard for education, & basic human freedoms. Nor it's indiscriminate killing of thousands. Neutral oddity: Most Afghan cars have steering wheels on the right yet they drive on the right side of the road (same as left side steering countries like the U.S.).