Panj é asr (2003)

English title: At Five in the Afternoon
In May 30, 2009, when I saw this film for the first time, I wrote in this blog:

"In occupied Afghanistan, there is a clash between women who want the end of
Taleban oppression, and the conservative men who cling to the rules set up by
that regime. An ambitious woman attends classes and wants to be the country's
president one day.

There isn't much to say about this film; it isn't very good. The first 15
minutes are fine, and then it's just not anymore. Camerawork is first rate
though, and one can sense the director's (or the cinematographer's, perhaps) eye
for composition."

The summary I wrote is fine, but could be better. I could mention, for example, that there is a surge of refugees that storm their village. And that her brother is missing and his wife has a baby that is dying of hunger.

The evaluation is pretty much the same after having seen it a second time (although perhaps one should not take my "the first 15 minutes" assessment too seriously). It is worth mentioning that one of the good scenes involves a girl who wears glasses. Her speech comes off as deeply heartfelt, and is a noteworthy achievement of realism. It is worth mentioning further that the film is about the sadness and hope and despair of women, and that it superposes a non-realistic, fablelike structure on realistic set-pieces. It does that, however, in a mostly tacky, repetitive and slow manner.

My rating does not change: 33