Little White Lies magazine

From Hana Makhmalbaf (the youngest member of the Makhmalbaf filmmaking clan) comes this Neorealist fable showing the current Afghani climate through a child’s eyes. All the adorably obstinate Baktay (Nikbakht Noruz) wants is to go to school. But to go to school she’ll need a notebook. To buy a notebook she’ll need some money. To make some money she’ll need some eggs. And so begins her colourful struggle, as Makhmalbaf traverses the boundary between political allegory (one of the most disturbing scenes sees the children ‘playing war’; putting a bag over Baktay’s head and threatening to stone her) and warm, often comic, drama. This is a brave and engaging offering spoilt only by the crass, heavy-handed documentary footage that follows Baktay’s poignant final scene.