He Named Me Malala

Fox Searchlight Pictures | Release Date: October 2, 2015

6.2	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 9 Ratings

USER RATING DISTRIBUTION

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Watch Now

Stream On

Buy on

Stream On

Expand

Review this movie

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Please sign in or create an account before writing a review.

Check box if your review contains spoilers

0 characters (5000 max)

User Reviews

User score By date Most helpful

FilmPhonicNov 22, 2015

Director Davis Guggenheim’s chronicle of the life, so far, of Nobel Prize-winning Pakistani teenage activist Malala Yousafzai, from being shot by the Taliban for suggesting girls should be educated to moving to Britain and becoming a globalDirector Davis Guggenheim’s chronicle of the life, so far, of Nobel Prize-winning Pakistani teenage activist Malala Yousafzai, from being shot by the Taliban for suggesting girls should be educated to moving to Britain and becoming a global ambassador for children’s education and gender equality.

If you’ve watched television over the last 3 years surely you’ve heard of Malala Yousafzai and her extraordinary story, ‘He Named Me Malala’ is an account of the teenager’s brief but eventful life so far, crafted for full dramatic effect.

But the heart of this movie is the confluence between director Davis Guggenheim’s convictions about the power of education, as seen in his recent work, and those of Malala and her father. The result is a central ethos for which our heroine risked her life, which essentially makes ‘He Named Me Malala’ a piece of advocacy filmmaking which straddles the line of positive propaganda.

The film is a mix of interviews and “candid” footage with Malala’s family about her uniquely independent upbringing in Pakistan’s Swat valley, the ominous arrival of the Taliban and all the events that followed. This is mixed with a lot of hand drawn animation that illustrates some key events and Yousafzai philosophical musings, all of which help to give ‘He Named Me Malala’ a rather mythical quality, and whether intentionally or not, depict Malala in a position of near sainthood.

The problem with making a documentary about the life of a teenager, despite her extraordinary circumstances, is that when you get past the well-established events into the actual person, it’s just not that interesting. There are cursory heart-warming attempts at digging beneath the persona but to no real avail, and despite the trauma this is a normal girl whose character is not yet fully formed and without a lifetime of experiences to merit a 90 minute documentary portrait.

There’s also no attempt to dig into the mythological aspect of her now iconic status and what that says about society, indeed the near prophetic origins of her name and the liberal use of animation here only make it more pronounced.

So what we’re left with is what ‘He Named Me Malala’ is really about, not so much a rounded documentary but a promotional tool for Malala’s commendable global activism efforts. Which is great for, rather fittingly, educational and motivational purposes for youngsters, but unless you’re completely ignorant of her story, there’s not much else aside from a recent historical recap and a feel-good story.

The Bottom Line…
Although not a rounded or compelling documentary, ‘He Named Me Malala’ is an uplifting piece of advocacy filmmaking that’s fitting as an educational and motivational tool for a Malala Yousafzai inspired generation, cementing her as the patron saint of global education.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

All this user's reviews

Brent_MarchantOct 26, 2015

An informative, though not always engaging profile of a courageous young woman who defied authority -- and the odds -- to make her voice heard. While the film definitely has its heart in the in the right place and is undoubtedly sincere inAn informative, though not always engaging profile of a courageous young woman who defied authority -- and the odds -- to make her voice heard. While the film definitely has its heart in the in the right place and is undoubtedly sincere in its intent, its frequent shifts in focus and loosely structured narrative don't lead to particularly cogent storytelling, despite its overall inspiring message.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

wcrosherOct 7, 2015

Its hard not to like this movie, with Malala being such an incredible story and one that absolutely needed to be shown on the big screen, but with the weird transitions and unnecessary animation that seemed to make very real, adult issuesIts hard not to like this movie, with Malala being such an incredible story and one that absolutely needed to be shown on the big screen, but with the weird transitions and unnecessary animation that seemed to make very real, adult issues into childish moments, the incredible true story could have quite easily been handled better.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

alejandro970Mar 11, 2018

Witty documentary of a brave, determinated, unsinkable girl and her quest for equality in education. The footage is seasoned with beautiful animated sequences.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews