Stray Dogs (Sag-haye velgard) DVD Review

"Stray Dogs" reviews

DVD

Stray Dogs

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-12-01 16:00:45

Provider

MRIB

DVD Review

Marzieh Meshkini is building a reputation as a sharp commentator on the injustices of sharia law. Following her well-received The Day I Became A Woman, which dealt with the place of females under the strict Islamic governance of Iran, she takes a chilling look at the plight of two children in post-Taliban Afghanistan, forced to live on the street when their mother is jailed.

Zahed and Goi-Gatai sneak into jail at night, where a surprisingly kind guard allows them to sleep with their mother. Unfortunately, the governor finds out and forbids them entry. Desperate to be reunited with their mum, they plan to commit a crime, get caught and returned to jail. Watching the classic post-war Italian film, Bicycle Thieves, gives them an idea, so they set about recreating the crime, with tragic results.

Stray Dogs isn't easy viewing, but its bleakness is shot through with a black humour that marks Meshkini out as something considerably more than an easy polemicist. Taking shots at both the Taliban and the American/British forces who removed them, its story about street kids lost in an urban war zone may carry echoes of many others, from Pixote to Innocent Voices, but it tells a powerful story with warmth, heart and wit.

Disc also includes a Meshkini filmography and text interview.

Copyright © MRIB 2006.