Contains some remarkable and memorable shots and scenes, but is perhaps a little too forced in its attempt to persuade. Some of the writing is less than impressive.

"Kandahar is Mohsen Makhmalbaf's wondrously absurd, always evocative (though sometimes heavy-handed ode) to the perpetually disguised Afghani woman." - Ed Gonzalez

Based on a true story, emphasis on "based on". Makhmalbaf conjures some memorable images but the story definitely feels scripted. It's like he had a checklist of things he wanted the protagonist to experience (besides what the real-life journalist actually experienced) and was determined to cram them all in the film. Still, even if the episodes don't come together in a way that seems natural, at least most of them are individually interesting.