HE NAMED ME MALALA
Directed by Davis Guggenheim
Starring Malala Yousafzai and ZiauddinYousafzai
A look at the events leading up to the Talibans' attack on the young Pakistani school girl, Malala Yousafzai, for speaking out on girls' education and the aftermath, including her speech to the United Nations.
Watching this you have to separate the amazing Malala, who handles herself in public with such elegance and is so well spoken it is almost shocking that she is a teenager, and the film itself. This documentary is a bit messy.
Yes the film covers her awful day that she was shot in the head by the Taliban for earlier pushing for the rights of women in Pakistan to be educated. We see over and over and hear over and over and over about that day. We know!!! Going into this film we know!! Guggenheim feels he needs to keep showing us different thought processes on that day with animated art/drawings, What about now? We see her now in just quick, little pieces, never really getting into each idea or subject.
Per example:
We see the other girls who are shot. Are they upset with the attention Malala is getting? Are they upset they were put into this position after Malala was being outspoken? We do not know.
We see Malala at school. How does she communicate with fellow classmates especially with all her travels? We do not know.
Her grades in school are barely passable. Is this because of the travel? Is there tutors helping her? We don't know.
We see her therapy, in videos that looks like it was taken by cellphone. What about now?
Her younger brother says education is important for women because if not they will be maids. Huh? Was not questioned.
We see her speak at the UN. How was that scheduled/planned. How was her speech done (some say she is speaking from her father's words or he is writing the speeches and Malala is a mouthpiece)? We do not know.
We see her in Africa almost teaching a class and it may have been the best part of the film but it just left it hanging. What do the children there think about her and what does she feel about being put in that position? We don't know.
Some in Pakistan say she is a fraud and just making money. We do not get her response. We do not know.
I could go on. This documentary does not really dig. Her life is very interesting but we only see glimpses of her being a normal teenager,. How much time does she get to do that? We do not know.
Yes Malala is amazingly brave and a great story but the film does not really give us much. It feels like a promo piece that was rushed through. Trust me on this, this girl does not need a promo piece she is one of the bravest if not the bravest young lady in the world.
Save time, edit out the 30 minute background we already knew about and dig deeper on how she is handling the threats, her life now, her family's life now, her injuries.
2 1/2 out of 5 stars.
As always thanks for your time from the shadows.
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