Now streaming documentary In Her Hands by Tamana Ayazi and Marcel Mettelsiefen.
Now streaming on Netflix is the documentary In Her Hands by Tamana Ayazi and Marcel Mettelsiefen. It follows one of Afghanistan’s first female mayors of Afghanistan, Zafira Ghafari, the youngest to hold her position. An especially relevant and poignant watch since the Taliban announced recently that girls are banned from attending university, furthering the exclusion of women from Afghan society who already couldn’t attend secondary school and suffering more restrictions leading to an almost complete exclusion of public life.
Still from the documentary In Her Hands.Zafira takes an incredibly brave, fierce and defiant stance towards stifling conservative social norms. Advocating for women empowerment and girls following an education is one of her main points. She remains almost unfazed by the severe discrimination and many death threats she receives, to try and inspire Afghan citizens for more equality. Ever since the Taliban took over the country in August 2021, the situation has rapidly deteriorated for its citizens. The heartbreaking movie makes the immense pain and suffering of this tragedy palpable, it goes beyond the impersonal headlines that covered the event of the fall of Kabul but have largely forgotten Afghanistan since then.
Still from the documentary In Her Hands.The film follows moves in time until the tragic and catastrophic moment that the US forces retreated and the country fell to the Taliban in August 2021. The impact of this has become all the more clear in the past year, with the severe food shortages and the medieval ruling of the Taliban that is especially harsh to minorities and women. When Kabul falls to the Taliban, Zafira has to flee as well. For years she sustained, traveled with armed bodyguards, changed houses and risked the many threats. But when the men who have been issuing her death threats came to power, she was forced to leave.
Critics argue whether the movie shouldn’t have provided more background and context and a more in depth exploration of Zafira’s political career. However, it seems the filmmakers goal was to depict the present tense situation Afghanistan has been plunged in, and successfully did so. Whilst the movie and situation allows for almost nothing more than despair, the characters drive and motivation shine throughout as little glimmers of hope.
Official Netflix trailer
