Kandahar
NEJ International Pictures | Release Date: December 14, 2001 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
76
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
25
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Watching this film wakes you up; it is a window on an Iran and an Afghanistan we should have taken account of long ago -- seen though a master's eye, felt through a poet's touch. Read full review
50
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
Kandahar feels like a Magritte painting rendered in sand tones, and your eyes are drawn to the screen. There aren't enough of these moments, though, and Mr. Makhmalbaf lessens their power by repeating them. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
While it's often harsh in style and melancholy in subject, Kandahar taps into veins of humor and compassion as well. Read full review
88
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Kandahar found itself in real-life controversy last December, when one of its actors was accused of murder. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
With its lyrical vision of oppression, looks, if anything, milder now than it might have before the war. Read full review
63
New York PostJonathan Foreman
Unfortunately, you are often distractingly aware that you are watching re-enactments of real events. Read full review
80
VarietyDeborah Young
A visually exalting, emotionally horrifying view of Afghanistan under the Taliban regime. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
This remarkably revealing and timely film, in which the depiction of pain and sorrow is suffused with a sense of beauty and a graceful, flowing style, more than lives up to glowing advance notices. Read full review
91
Portland OregonianStaff (Not credited)
The director manages to maintain a steady streak of grim humor. Extreme repression can be bleakly funny in its idiocy, when viewed from a distance. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Kandahar does not provide deeply drawn characters, memorable dialogue or an exciting climax. Its traffic is in images. Read full review
90
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Though it might lack in Hollywood production values, it overflows with moral impact. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Among the unforgettable images is that of artificial limbs floating to earth on parachutes, while below, one-legged men on crutches race each other to the prizes. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleMarrit Ingman
The story is simple and true-to-life, and the technique is naturalistic, using nonprofessional actors, photography that emphasizes the characters' environment, and deliberate narrative pacing that mimics real-time events. Read full review
80
Washington PostStephen Hunter
That's the movie: It's taking us inside the burqa to the woman. Read full review
90
Rolling StonePeter Travers
You won't forget this film -- it's devastating. Read full review
60
New Times (L.A.)Luke Y. Thompson
A film worth your time, and if you know going into it that there's no closure, it'll give you all the more freedom to enjoy what IS there. Read full review
70
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Makhmalbaf shot this film under extremely difficult circumstances, and it sometimes shows; but it's still an important achievement. Read full review
75
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
What proves the validity of Kandahar is that, by the end, all these scenes are human ruins of the same nightmare world. Read full review
100
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Presented without preachiness or affectation, Kandahar is a short, matter-of-fact visit to hell. Read full review
80
The New YorkerDavid Denby
Abrupt and fragmentary, but powerful. [Dec 10 2001, p. 111]
60
Chicago ReaderStaff (Not Credited)
The acting is mainly horrendous, the English dialogue frequently awkward, but they're overcome by the beautiful colors and settings and a grim sense of the uncanny spilling over into twisted humor. Read full review
70
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
The movie feels truncated, but it communicates a certain urgency and at times a powerful sense of the absurd. Read full review
100
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
Makhmalbaf's astounding and haunting imagery tells a story of devastation, desperation and poverty. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Pazira, whose sapphire eyes blaze through the lattice of her slate-gray burqa, isn't much of an actress, as her singsong narration attests. But when not speaking, she has a commanding presence and is an effective witness to the ravages of war. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
The world's newfound familiarity with the region's troubles only make Kandahar more compelling. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeLoren King
A bleak road movie that often ambles. But its many moments of poetic grace make this haunting and harrowing journey a rewarding one. Read full review
70
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
A stark and beautiful film traces a Afghan woman's journey across a landscape we may never understand. Read full review
80
Film ThreatRich Cline
The result is stunning -- both as a narrative film and as a document of the place and time. Read full review
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