10 movies, 20 years of war in Afghanistan

On August 15th, Afghanistan “changed”, and the United States fought the war in Afghanistan for 20 years, ushering in an ironic end.

With the Taliban occupying the capital Kabul, the Afghan president fled, and the United States also evacuated embassy personnel in an emergency.

It seems that the “Saigon Moment” of 1975 was re-enacted.

In 20 years, squandered 2.2 trillion US dollars. In that year, the United States sent troops to Afghanistan in the name of destroying al-Qaeda in order to avenge the “9.11” revenge.

Although the strategic goal of eliminating bin Laden has been achieved, it has left Afghanistan with a mess that is rampant and riddled with violence.

Recently, after the Taliban invaded the capital of Afghanistan.

An Afghan film director Sahre Karimi (current chairman of the Afghan Film Company) issued an open letter asking for help.

She called on all parties to protect Afghan women and children from harm, and begged the international community not to abandon Afghanistan.

This disaster-prone, war-torn country is still in dire straits.

In the past 20 years, there have been many film works surrounding the war in Afghanistan.

Some describe the fierceness and cruelty of the war from the standpoint of the US military, while others capture the Taliban and the national trauma caused by the war from the perspective of the Afghan people.

This article lists 10 more well-known films, many of which are based on real people and stories from the war in Afghanistan.

While reviewing the film together, feel the suffering of the war and the suffering of the people up close.

I also hope that peace will come to this land as soon as possible, and that war will be far away from the world.

The perspective of the U.S. military

“Lone Survivor” (2013)

Director: Peter Berg
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch

Story introduction: The film is based on Marcus Luttrell’s memoirs of the same name.

It tells that four members of the SEAL team infiltrated Afghanistan to assassinate the leader of the terrorist organization, but they were attacked because of a wrong decision, causing the commando to be almost completely wiped out.

The film was rated by the audience as “the best war movie after “Saving Private Ryan””.

The film is set in the context of the Afghan War, but the director tried his best to downplay the political orientation, cleverly avoiding the controversy of US involvement in the Afghan War, and instead focuses on brotherhood, teamwork and other aspects that are more resonant with the audience.

Plus the real event adaptation and starring Mark Wahlberg’s market appeal.

In the end, the film won a good reputation and a gratifying box office without being favored.

The film was nominated for Best Sound Effects and Best Sound Editing at the 86th Academy Awards.

“War Machine” (2017)

Director: David Michôd
Starring: Brad Pitt, Anthony Michael Hall, John Magaro

Story introduction: This film tells the story of General Stanley McChrystal, commander of the US Joint Special Operations Command.

His troops captured Saddam alive, overthrew the Taliban regime, and was elected the Man of the Year by Time Magazine.

During his tenure, the U.S. military suffered repeated incidents of prisoner abuse, and finally resigned because of improper remarks.

This film is based on ‎Michael Hastings‎’s best-selling novel The Operators.

Director and screenwriter David Michôd combines reality and fiction to make the film full of the absurd taste of black comedy.

In the words of the director, “War Machine” bluntly and boldly presents the chaos, cumbersomeness and madness of modern warfare, and of course it also includes all kinds of people in the war.”

The film looks at the U.S. involvement in the war in Afghanistan from an ironic perspective.

In the film, Brad Pitt transforms into a white-haired uncle, playing the role of General Stanley McChrystal, who controls the situation in Afghanistan, and dedicated his career to the most handsome performance.

In addition to Pitt, Tilda Swinton, Ben Kingsley, Anthony Michael Hall, Topher Grace, Will Poulter and other casts also appeared in the film.

In terms of production, the film was Netflix’s highest-invested feature film at the time, co-produced with Brad Pitt’s Plan B company.

Brad Pitt once said, “If it weren’t for Netflix, this film wouldn’t have been made.”

“12 Strong” (2018)

Director: Nicolai Fuglsig
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Peña

Story introduction: This film is adapted from real people and real events.

After telling the story of the September 11 incident in 2001, a small US special forces squad was sent to perform missions in the mountains of Afghanistan and persuaded the Northern Alliance generals to jointly deal with the Taliban.

Pursuing enemy forces in the sinister mountainous area, a series of fierce battles of life and death are on the verge of breaking out.

The film is adapted from the best-selling book Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton.

The original work is rated four and a half stars on Amazon. The story is derived from a confidential document decrypted after 9.11 in the United States. The spiritual significance of the guarding country represented behind it is more profound.

In the film, “Thor” Chris Hemsworth plays the 595 combat team leader of the US Special Forces “Green Beret Squad”.

Unlike the superheroes in the MCU, the “Thor” in the film is a real hero who participated in the US anti-terrorism operations in Afghanistan after 9.11.

Surprisingly, “Thor” and Elsa Pataky merged on the screen for the first time in the film, and the couple appeared in the same frame as a couple.

Director Nicolai Fuglsig was a war correspondent in the Kosovo War, and this film is also his debut.

The film shows the spectacle of war that combines modern high-tech weapons with traditional cavalry combat, as well as war scenes that are rare in other movies of the same type, such as riding a horse and fighting a tank.

Efforts to highlight the bravery of the US military.

“The Outpost” (2020)

Director: Rod Lurie
Starring: Scott Eastwood, Orlando Bloom, Caleb Landry Jones

Story introduction: The film is adapted from the work of CNN reporter Jake Tapper.

It tells the story of a protracted battle between American soldiers and about 400 enemy militants in northeastern Afghanistan.

The film is adapted from real events and is based on a real battle in the Afghan War-“Battle of Kamdehi”.

In October 2009, the US military set up an outpost at the bottom of a steep mountain just 14 miles from the Pakistani border. 53 US soldiers were surrounded by about 400 Taliban.

This outpost built in the valley was impossible to defend at all.

In the end, the outpost was destroyed, 8 US troops were killed, 27 were injured, and 150 Taliban were killed, making it one of the most serious battles for US troops in Afghanistan.

After this battle, the “outpost” strategy had to be terminated.

This battle has also become the time that the US military has won the most medals in a single battle in the Afghan War.

“Zero Dark Thirty” (2012)

Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Joel Edgerton

Story introduction: It tells the ten-year international hunt for bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda, after the 9/11 incident.

In the end, bin Laden’s hiding place was discovered, and he also died in a military conflict.

Since the United States sent troops to Afghanistan in 2001, to May 2011, it took almost a full 10 years for the United States to finally kill Al-Qaida leader Bin Laden in Pakistan.

The script for the film was roughly completed around 2011. During the filming process, this part of the plot of Bin Laden’s final fate was rewritten.

The film is directed by Kathryn Bigelow, director of The Hurt Locker.

In addition to Jessica Chastain, the cast also includes Jason Clarke, Jennifer Ehle, Mark Strong, Kyle Chandler, Mark Duplass, etc.

The film won five nominations including Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Original Screenplay at the 85th Oscar.

Afghanistan perspective

“The Kite Runner” (2007)

Director: Marc Forster
Starring: Khalid Abdalla, Khaled Hosseini, Shaun Toub

Story introduction: The film is adapted from the novel of the same name by Khaled Hosseini.

It tells the story of the betrayal and redemption of humanity, about kites, and about the betrayal and redemption of humanity that took place in two Amir and Hassan, a rich boy and his servant.

The film presents the complex emotions of the young Amir and the servant son Hassan, mainly expressing the accusation of war.

Behind the kind friendship is the unhealable wound brought about by war.

In the film, the cruelty of war is only used as a background in time and space.

It is worth mentioning that the film crew had to come to Kashgar, Xinjiang, China to film the film due to the raging war in Afghanistan.

Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and Kashgar in Xinjiang, China have great similarities in geography, race, and environment.

The film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Film Music at the 65th Golden Globe Awards, and nominated for Best Original Soundtrack at the 80th Oscar.

“The Breadwinner” (2017)

Director: Nora Twomey
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Noorin Gulamgaus

Story introduction: The film is adapted from the novel of the same name by Deborah Ellis.

It tells the story of Parvana, a girl in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, who disguised herself as a man and went to work for the survival of her family.

This film is produced by the cartoon salon studio that has produced “The Secret of Kells” and “Song of the Sea”, and is adapted from the novel “Pavana’s Waiting”.

Through the moving experience of an Afghan girl, the film demonstrates the courage and strength of women.

It is easily reminiscent of the story of Hua Mulan disguised as a woman to serve his father in the army.

Director Nora Twomey has said that although the film takes place in an area where there are political, religious, and cultural conflicts such as Afghanistan.

But what she wants to focus on most is the emotions between people.

Angelina Jolie, who had adopted three children who suffered from war, served as the producer of the film.

Related Post: “The Breadwinner”: the most wanted to forbid female film by the Taliban.

“Osama” (2003)

Director: Siddiq Barmak
Starring: Marina Golbahari, Zubaida Sahar, Arif Herati

Story introduction: The film tells the story of Osama, a 12-year-old girl who disguised herself as a man to work in order to make a living during the Taliban rule in Afghanistan.

“Osama”, which predates “The Breadwinner” and has a similar story, also tells the story of a little girl disguised as a man and going out to work.

The emergence of these kinds of movies is due to the fact that Afghanistan has always been dominated by patriarchy. Men think that it is a shame for women to show their faces and feet.

Under the control of the Taliban, women are even more tortured by inhumans.

The film shows us the helpless and troubled souls of girls dressed as men.

The film is full of non-professional actors. Marina Golbahari, who plays the girl Osama, was discovered by the director while begging on the streets of Kabul.

The film was the first film since the fall of the Taliban regime and the birth of a new regime in Afghanistan.

“Osama” participated in the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, won the Golden Camera Special Mention Award, and won the Best Foreign Language Film at the 61st American Golden Globe Awards in 2004.

“Buddha Collapsed out of Shame” (2007)

Director: Hana Makhmalbaf
Starring: Abbas Alijome, Abdolali Hoseinali, Nikbakht Noruz

Story introduction: The film takes the Taliban’s destruction of the Bamiyan Buddha as its background.

It tells the story of a group of Afghan boys imitating the war scenes they saw and bullying a six-year-old girl.

The blueprint for the boys’ mischief is the scene when the Taliban bombed the Bamiyan Buddha.

This film is an Iranian film that tells a story about Afghanistan.

The director was Hana Makhmalbaf, a talented Iranian girl who was only 17 years old at the time.

Through the documentary performance of non-professional actors and the perspective of children, the film shows the shocking scene of a young boy imitating the Taliban to slaughter infidels.

The innocent children enjoy the most cruel and absurd games. The film presents the cruelty and ruthlessness of war in a unique way.

In 2008, the film won the Crystal Bear Award for Best Film and Peace Film at the 58th Berlin Film Festival.

“Essential Killing” (2010)

Director: Jerzy Skolimowski
Starring: Vincent Gallo, Emmanuelle Seigner, Nicolai Cleve Broch

Story introduction: It tells the story of Mohammed, an Afghan who was captured while rebelling against the US military, and escaped in a car accident when he was taken to prison.

Afterwards, in order to avoid the pursuit of the American army, he escaped aimlessly in the forest and the snowy field, like a bereaved dog.

In order to survive, he started killing all the way.

American actor Vincent Gallo, who plays Mohammed from Afghanistan, is the biggest highlight of the film. There is almost no dialogue in the film, and it is supported by the performance of the actors.

Regarding the war, only the scene of the US military abusing Afghan prisoners of war is described at the beginning, and the war in the film is only used as the background of the story.

Escape in the Ice and Snow Jungle, as an escape movie, the film mainly presents the difficulty and despair of survival alone.

The film won the Special Jury Prize at the 67th Venice Film Festival in 2010.