"Osama" is the story of a 12 year-old girl living in Afghanistan during the rule of the Taliban.
When the girl and her mother lose their jobs at the local hospital because of the Taliban crackdown on women's rights, she must cut her hair and pretend to be a boy so she can work. The mother's husband and brother have been killed in battle and there is no one to bring home a paycheck.
The Taliban have also forbidden women to appear in public without a male companion.
Now disguised as a boy named Osama, the girl finds work with a shop keeper who promises to keep her secret. Also, a boy about her age finds out her true identity and does what he can to run interference with the authorities so she is not found out.
Much of the film revolves around the daily struggle for the girl and her family to survive. It also shows the desperate attempt by the girl to not be discovered.
"Osama" is a bleak film, holding no punches when showing the plight of Afghan women under the Taliban.
And the ending is anything but a typical Hollywood ending.
The repression under the Taliban is palpable in this movie and never lets up, even in the film's resolution.
Inspired by a true story, "Osama" was the first entirely Afghan film shot from the fall of the Taliban. It is available on DVD.
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