The film was pleasant to watch (I enjoyed the full Indian cast and the fact that there were no white saviors in the film). The problem with child brides is one that I am not well versed in and would like to learn more about. I suspect that Dukhtar (the film) was an oversimplification (one that appeals to the American public and that doesn’t show all the harsh realities that come with actual child marriages) of the actual problem. As someone who didn’t grow up in a culture with this is the norm, I wonder how actual people in India (and other places where child marriages are common) feel about the topic – of course there will be a diversity of arguments because it wouldn’t be controversial otherwise. I wonder when we will hear from the actual children that are subjected to these practices/ tasks that are given to them by adults. I have heard how adults feel about it, but I wonder what affects (psychological, physiological, developmental, etc) are likely to occur. There are many aspects of child marriages that are not discussed, primarily because the topics are taboo in America. How can we solve a 21st century issue if we are not willing to look at it as multidimensional instead of simply two-toned?

Before the night of Dukhtar, I had never seen a movie in Arabic and knew little to nothing about the plight that Dukhtar revealed. But holy bananas, life is so different in different areas of the world. A little girl is to be wedded to a warlord to unite two clans. And no, this isn’t a Game of Thrones plot, this is something that feasibly happens today. Dukhtar was scarily real. It made me angry, it made me upset, but it also made me wonder about civilizations and institutions different from our own.

Now barring not only the fact that this marriage was one that was forced to a girl that was underage, which is pretty bad concept in itself, but also the fact that the man she was to marry was a warlord, the abundance and success rates for arranged marriages are pretty cool. Similar belief systems and family backing are instrumental to making any marriage work, and arranged ones start with this right of the bat. With divorce rates around 4% and arranged marriages consisting of around 55% of all marriages, this phenomenon would be one that would be really interesting to dive deeper into.

also, the title means “peace be upon you,” a standard arabic greeting.

I must admit. I have never watched a foreign film. But after watching, Dukhtar, my skepticism and opinions of foreign films have changed. As an American, I view the world through my first-world “lens” and fail to see the valuable contributions that other countries have made. This film was pure cinematic ingenuity. However, the visuals didn’t leave a lasting impact. It was the feminist and religious undertones throughout the film that left a mark for me.

Ripe with powerful lessons, Dukhtar showed me the power of discomfort. Allah Rakhi, the mother, didn’t want her child to be a statistic, let alone a repeat of her life. Her discomfort propelled her to take big actions. I doubt Allah Rakhi knew the statistics: every year, around the world, nearly 15 million girls lose their childhood to marriage and for me this is an unacceptable reality. Child brides often show signs symptomatic of sexual abuse and post-traumatic stress such as feelings of hopelessness, helplessness and severe depression.

She risked her life in order to ensure that her daughter was protected. She had faith. And while, I wasn’t sure about the characters religious beliefs, the ambiguity allowed me to shape my own meaning. And while this movie is suppose to be about the daughter. I focused primarily on the mother and her sacrifice, which is also a reoccurring theme throughout the Bible. Throughout every leg of the turn, she was lucky. But I saw it differently. Her path was blessed and watched over. Ironically, that is the meaning of Allah Raki is “God protects.”

While god protects, he also forgives. In a way, this journey to free her daughter was how this mother forgave herself for not fighting hard enough for her own freedom. By fighting for her daughter’s freedom, she forgave herself and her situation. This film caused me to think deep and hard about what privileges I have because people fought for my freedom. I’m thankful for the love of individuals who have protected my path and for those that are working hard to ensure that it remains smooth.

Duhktar portrayed the frightening journey of a mother desperate to save her underage daughter from the violent leaders of another community. Herself the victim of an unhappy marriage, the mother, fearing for her daughters safety, endangers herself and another man who gives them shelter by fleeing the night of the marriage. As an American who has repeatedly taught to do what makes me happy and that my choices are my own, who has been taught to marry for love if I wish and to never let men be in charge of my life, this movie was sad not only in its plot but in its oppression of women, which is a huge issue in many countries today. It is a difficult line to walk to respect others’ culture while being put off by and occasionally outraged by some of their customs. This complete male domination of society is an aspect of this culture that, as a female engineer and an avid proponent of outreach to young girls to encourage them to take power over their own lives, I cannot accept and I hope I never have to deal with.  That men kill their female family members over insubordination, and that this behavior is condoned, is disgusting to me. No one person should be able to choose, on a whim, whether another person has the right to live or die.

I feel lucky to have been raised by such supportive parents who encouraged me to pursue anything I was interested in, who sent me to my room when I was wasn’t listening as a child, who ground their teeth through my questionable boy choices but let me figure out my life on my own. I feel lucky to live in a free country, and lucky to live in an area of this country where equality is considered important, where tolerance is high and people aren’t disgusted by gay marriage or little-known religions or the thought of gender equality. These things that we take for granted are worth a thought every now and again.

Thursday night I went to see the film Dukhtar at the Cornell Cinema. This film was incredibly moving, I was tearing up at some parts during the film and multiple times caught myself with my hands in front of my mouth with worry and suspense about what was going to happen next to the mother and daughter. If you haven’t seen this film I would recommend watching it. While it is not in english, the film is closed captioned, and I can say it was very easy to read along since there is not extensive talking. This film highlighted cultural differences very well. It also showed that while cultures may be different, there are a lot of similarities, one is a mother’s love for her daughter.

While watching, I was surprised to see how little the father cared about his daughter’s wellbeing and how quickly he ordered his wife’s death after learning that she had been spotted with another man. Even though she and the other man were not involved in any way, he was simply helping them escape. It was moments like these that were eye opening. I feel lucky to live in a culture where I may chose whom I get to spend my life with, and I know that if I were there, I would do everything in my power to help families like the one in the film. I think films like this one are important to watch because they help show what other cultures can be like. A picture is worth a thousand words, and I cannot express how much more educational this film was for me over reading an article or textbook.

i wanted to like duhktar a little more than i did. i thought that the acting and the the cinematography especially were both solid, but the script and direction were both a little weak. it left me not as engaged with the story–which is indeed a powerful one–as i could have been. most of the characters felt rather one dimensional, like they didn’t ever rise above the broad archetypes (i wouldn’t have been very surprised if some of the villains had twirled their mustaches) they were drawn from. the same could be said for the narrative itself, while i found it at times to be moving and engaging, there were stretches where it plodded along ham-fistedly as well. i guess my main issue is that the film didn’t seem to go anywhere we might not have expected it to from the outset. not that there’s anything inherently wrong with that; many great movies don’t set out, first and foremost, to subvert the viewers’ expectations. but i think most great movies make familiar themes and stories feel engaging and thought provoking in an original, organic way. it seemed like the filmmakers assumed the harrowing subject matter would instantly give the film credibility, and while i think dukhtar does indeed tell an important story–a story everyone should be aware of–it doesn’t entirely succeed on its own terms as a movie. the film’s premise is indeed horrifying and, i’m sure, dishearteningly accurate to the experiences of many pakistani young women, however, as i’ve said, i wish it had done a better job conveying that premise onscreen.

nevertheless, because i think more movies should tell stories like this one, stories that reveal a harsh reality we often are insulated from, i’m going to award this event a 10/10.