How many people pay attention to the location of a movie? One day, one
professor who teaches movie theory told me that if we pay attention to the
place of a movie, we can understand the movie more deeply. He said that the
setting of a movie, including the place, is closely related to the message that
the movie wants to say. To show me this was true, he recommended a film called Osama.
Afghanistan is a very important element of the movie Osama because the
story could not happened in any other country.
The major complication that leads the movie is deeply related to the place of
the movie. Osama, the main character in this movie, is a little girl who
suffered under the Taliban regime. She lost father and brother during the war,
so she lives with mother and grandmother. Because Afghanistan bans women’s
social activities, there is no person who can support her family. It seems that
there is no alternative but to be born again as a man, so Osama decides to
dress like a man and cut her hair to become a man. This poor girl is in
constant fear lest a truth that she is not a man come to light. These tragic
situations could not happen in any other place because of the undemocratic rule
of Afghanistan and because all of the events that she faces are based on
religious characteristics and historical feature of the country.
The end of the movie is also associated with the location of the movie. At the
end of the movie, despite ceaseless efforts to escape observation, the truth is
uncovered. So, according to the law of Afghanistan, Osama is sentenced to harsh
punishment. That is a forced marriage with one rich old man. In other words,
she is sold at a giveaway price. How can they sell the person? These human
rights problem is able to happen because they are under the Taliban regime. As
you know, it’s important feature of Afghanistan. Of course, some people can say
that human rights problem has always existed around the world and will always
exist, so the physical geography such as Afghanistan can’t be an important part
of the movie. However, what Osama experienced is an extreme example which does
not appear in any other place.
In conclusion, the story of the movie Osama could not happened in any
other country. Because of the features of Afghanistan, Osama has to undergo
many hardships. It shows that the place of the movie is a very important part
of the movie. For me, watching this movie is not just watching it but chance to
know about Afghanistan. Through the tragic destiny of Osama, I can feel an
intense pain that the people in Afghanistan have to endure. For these reasons,
from now on, I will check the place of a movie first whenever I watch a movie.
