Shortly after US forces pulled out of Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban occupied Hollywood Gate, a complex in Kabul that is said to have been a CIA base, said Linda Marric in The Sun. This "fly-on- the-wall documentary", made by the Egyptian filmmaker Ibrahim Nash'at, is about the Taliban's first year in power; it follows a group of fighters led by Mawlawi Mansour, a commander whose father was killed in a US strike, as they sort through the military equipment the Americans left behind.
The film focuses on the men's daily lives, and offers a "raw and uncompromising" insight into Afghanistan's new ruling class, who allow Nash'at to film them "despite their obvious mistrust". They seem to have hoped that the film would help them to spread their ideology around the world. Instead, the "biggest takeaway" from the documentary is just how "listless and deflated" the fighters seem. "With foreign forces gone, their dreams of martyrdom have gone up in smoke, and all they seem to be left with are pointless spoils of war and a country hugely in need of infrastructure."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imaginationFeature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
-
Google: A monopoly past its prime?Feature Google’s antitrust case ends with a slap on the wrist as courts struggle to keep up with the tech industry’s rapid changes
-
Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacyFeature He was comfortable in the shadow of his famous father, Ernest Hemingway
-
Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imagination
Feature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
-
Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacy
Feature He was comfortable in the shadow of his famous father, Ernest Hemingway
-
10 concert tours to see this fallThe Week Recommends Concert tour season isn't over. Check out these headliners.
-
A tour of Sri Lanka’s beautiful northThe Week Recommends ‘Less frenetic’ than the south, this region is full of beautiful wildlife, historical sites and resorts
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashionIn the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th century clothing
-
Video games to curl up with this fall, including Ghost of Yotei and LEGO PartyThe Week Recommends Several highly anticipated video games are coming this fall
-
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale – a ‘comfort’ watch for fansThe Week Recommends The final film of the franchise gives viewers a chance to say goodbye
-
The Paper: new show, same 'warmth and goofiness'The Week Recommends This spin-off of the American version of The Office is ‘comfortingly and wearyingly familiar’
