SHAHRBANOO SADAT’S “THE ORPHANAGE” BRINGS HOPE THROUGH IMAGINATION AND SONGS
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THE ORPHANAGE is a Follow-up to Sadat’s WOLF AND SHEEP – The First Afghan Film made by Female Director and Winner at Cannes
1844 Entertainment releases THE ORPHANAGE (Parwareshgah), via VOD platform Amazon Prime beginning March 2, 2021.
Reviewed by Ishrat Jahaiara Quazi: Shahrbanoo Sadat writes a sequel to the Wolf and Sheep film series. She also directs the sequel called The Orphanage. The movie takes us through the story of Afghan teens during the 1980s. It mainly follows Qodrat, one of the kids in the Wolf and Sheep film.
The film begins with an action scene from one of Amitabh Bachchan’s 1980s movies. It quickly transitions to ‘Jawaani Jaaneman’ from Namak Halaal. The audience is dancing along to the song. The movie intros using a similar Bollywood-istic font. It transitions to follow that aesthetic.
Qodrat(played by Qodratollah Qadiri) is seen enjoying the movie. He’s obsessed with cinema. He sells movie tickets on the black market, like many Bollywood heroes. This happens before there’s an action scene that takes place. He gets caught reselling these tickets, and that’s when he gets put into a Soviet-run orphanage. That’s the starting point of the story. It continues as we see Qodrat and the other teens experience the Soviet-Afghan conflict in their countries.
Children like Qodrat would gain from having a home and access to resources like those provided by the orphanage. Still, we also witness a form of policing and authority that comes with living under a hierarchy. This is clear when one of the characters expresses a wish to live abroad. They don’t feel free at their current place. Just because you’re given food and a place to live doesn’t necessarily mean everything else is fine. There is a historical context that I am lacking when watching this movie. It helps to have some knowledge of the politics of Soviet-Afghan relations. Yet, I don’t think it’s necessary to understand the film on a base level. It’s a story of teens living through war. While all accounts of oppression aren’t the same, there’s a noticeable sentiment. It’s horrible to live through war and oppression. This is especially true during a time. You’re supposed to enjoy life as a young person. Let your mind wander.
The rest of the movie follows this format where Sadat combines a documentary-style film with the masala-style Bollywood storytelling that has existed even before the 80s. A lot of iconic songs and Hindi film scenes are used as rhetoric to show that Qodrat lives in this fantasy world, but the things he’s going through are very much real and dangerous. Even when there’s a serious scene where someone is getting shot, the scene transforms into an action sequence reminiscent of old Bollywood movies, complete with dramatic songs and exaggerated portrayals of emotions from the characters. The child-like in the story helps Qodrat’s emotional state to navigate his life. We’re seeing the movie through his lens. That makes for an interesting watch and I haven’t seen anything like this.
When it comes to keeping the 80s alive in the movie, I think Sadat does a great job. She incorporates iconic cultural elements that were prevalent in Kabul during that period. Amitabh Bachchan was a legend during the 1970s, 1980s, and beyond. Using reenactments to convey the feelings that Qodrat was experiencing is a smart move. Growing up, I would also imagine myself in these movie scenarios despite whatever hell was going on in life. It’s so much fun to see Qodrat and his crush. They enjoy a montage with the song ‘Jane Kaise Kab Kahan’ from the Shakti(1982) film playing in the background. The way the film is shot, with its grainy texture and bright colors, takes you more deeply into that era. This movie has that film festival vibe. It feels less commercial. Still, it incorporates many references to commercial films. And, there’s a war going on throughout the story, but to be very honest, it doesn’t feel like there is. Qodrat doesn’t really realize that something serious is happening. It only becomes clear when they return to Kabul from Russia and witness a death. He perceives this through a Bollywood filter.
When you watch this movie, I think there’s this vibe that the songs and references are very random. Still, I quite like this style. I loved it so much! It brought back many memories. I didn’t think they would exist in this movie. I hadn’t read the summary before watching it. Also, keeping the same actor from the Wolf and Sheep film is a brilliant choice. The audience truly gets to follow the story of Qodrat through the film series. We’re actually getting to see him grow up in reality and in the film. I can’t wait for the next movie in this series. I am eager to see what Qodrat will experience next.
- Movie: The Orphanage
- Written & Directed: Shahrbanoo Sadat.
- Inspired by: Anwar Hashimi’s unpublished diary.
Starring: Qodratollah Qadiri, Sediqa Rasuli, Masihullah Feraji Hasibullah Rasooli, Ahmad Fayaz Osmani, Ehsanullah Kharoti, Anwar Hashimi, Asadullah Kabiri, Fridoon Muradi, Karan Jeet Singh, Waris Muradi, Sediqa Rasuli, Abdul Rahman Formoli, Daria Gaiduk, Nahid Yakmanesh, Yama Yakmanesh, Arthur Köstler.
- Dialogue: Dari, Russian, Hindi-Urdu.
- 90 minutes.
AWARDS AND FESTIVALS
- Festivals & Awards
- Cannes International Film Festival – Directors’ Fortnight
- Reykjavik Film Festival – Golden Puffin Award
- Munich International Film Festival – CineCopro Competition
- Brussels International Film Festival – International Competition
- Odessa International Film Festival – International Competition
- Sarajevo International Film Festival – Kinoscope
- Haugesund International Film Festival – New Nordic Films
- IndieBo Film Festival
- Melbourne International Film Festival
- New Zealand International Film Festival
The Orphanage is part of a five-part film series directed by Shahrbanoo Sadat. It details the history of Afghanistan. This is based on Anwar Hashimi’s unpublished autobiography. Her first feature The Wolf and the Sheep, began the series. It is about shepherd children in the mountains of central Afghanistan. The film won the Jury Prize at the 2016 Cannes Film Fest, Directors’ Fortnight. The third film Kabul Jane is soon to be produced with Adomeit Films. It will be the world’s first romantic comedy set in Afghanistan. “It’s a tribute to all the journalists in Afghanistan,” producer Katja Adomeit told VARIETY last week. The deal was announced. She noted the alarming number of reporters who have been killed in the country in recent months.
Writer and Director Shahrbanoo Sadat was born in Iran and based in Kabul. Her debut feature Wolf and Sheep was developed with the Cannes Cinéfondation Residence in 2010. Sadat was 20 years old at the time, making her the youngest person ever selected for the program. Her films include The Orphanage (2019), Wolf and Sheep (Cannes Director’s Fortnight Winner, 2016), Who Wants to Be the Wolf? (2014), Not at Home (2013), Vice Versa One (2010), and A Smile for Life (2009).
