I saw this film tonight at the Docedge Film Festival. It was pitch perfect despite a few tricky moments where we wonder if there is a con going down and we are all being manipulated. Director Rokhsareh Ghaemmaghami has managed to find just the right distance to reveal the story without changing the dynamic (too much) by being there.
Although there are a few anxious and tricky moments when we think the film will have to be abandoned as Sonita comes under pressure to return to Afghanistan to get married against her will.
Documentary film makers can change the story just by having the cameras out and recording but all of the narrative seems to flow with just the right balance of tension and resolve and no undue influence. Although clearly the director was able to help Sonita tell her story and to make connections which brought her to the attention of others.
The film maker Rokhsareh Ghaemmaghami was able to fit into the background as a supporter and also able to help Sonita help herself by helping her make a music video.
I was a bit wary of going to see Sonita because I thought it might be a bit like the stark realism of Omar but it is more like Wadjda or Lamb (or even A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night) in tone.
The film makers manage to get up close and personal but they never intrude.
Although there are a few anxious and tricky moments when we think the film will have to be abandoned as Sonita comes under pressure to return to Afghanistan to get married against her will.
Documentary film makers can change the story just by having the cameras out and recording but all of the narrative seems to flow with just the right balance of tension and resolve and no undue influence. Although clearly the director was able to help Sonita tell her story and to make connections which brought her to the attention of others.
The film maker Rokhsareh Ghaemmaghami was able to fit into the background as a supporter and also able to help Sonita help herself by helping her make a music video.
I was a bit wary of going to see Sonita because I thought it might be a bit like the stark realism of Omar but it is more like Wadjda or Lamb (or even A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night) in tone.
The film makers manage to get up close and personal but they never intrude.