Director Brian Knappenberger's documentary about a journalist-turned-activist in post-Taliban Afghanistan shows that even in a country ravaged by war, red tape and bureaucracy still exists. Sarah Chayes, the film's central personality, spends most of her time arguing with local officials and philosophizing about the Afghan plight. Life After War looks at the struggle to rebuild a village obliterated by bombings.
Knappenberger, who has done camera and cinematography work in other documentaries, most recently for a National Geographic film on the Discovery Channel, fully embraces the overwhelmingly brown atmosphere of the dusty Afghan desert. While the lack of color helps to immerse the viewer in the film, it also becomes slightly grating towards the film's end. The only relief from this comes early on, when stock news footage clips are shown. These clips showcase a few blues and greens, but also serve to give the viewer background on the state of post-Taliban Afghanistan.
The film, while it aired on PBS and had a limited theatrical release, did not seem to have a mammoth budget. The worst example of this occurs during Chayes' 14-hour trip on a rutted road through the Afghan desert without the use of a 'SteadyCam.' One cannot simply film a documentary on a post-war country and avoid any political implications, but Life After War, in its primary focus on the villagers of Akokolacha, manages to only touch on politics and U.S. involvement. Offhanded comments by Chayes in one scene exemplify this perfectly, when Afghans outfitted in U.S. army uniforms block her path when she attempts to gain access to a stone quarry. The rest of the film, however, puts a somewhat positive spin on the U.S. involvement, and Chayes' background as a reporter for the reputedly liberal National Public Radio does not interfere with much of the film.
Knappenberger's aforementioned use of network news clips does not necessarily have a political slant, although none of the clips criticize U.S. involvement. Many reporters, going back to Communist party member John Reed, have so involved themselves in their cause that simply reporting on the events is not enough. With Chayes, a personal request for help from a relative of Afghan President Hamid Karzai spurred her to activism. However, her passion for the Afghan cause is evident throughout the film. Her involvement leads her to the group Afghans for a Civil Society (ACS), whose main goal in the film is to rebuild the bombed-out village. ACS raises close to $20,000 at a Massachusetts fundraiser to rebuild that village, but the actual work comes much harder. Chayes' old role as a journalist who constantly answered to an editor is now flipped around, and she is faced with the task of mobilizing the villagers to rebuild their homes. She compares journalism to management, and admits later that she has trouble delegating work to less-than-enthused villagers. Life After War dances the line between an academic (read: boring) documentary and a cinematic (read: exciting) one quite well. The use of stock news footage, one-on-one interviews, and subtitles for virtually all of the Afghan dialogue juxtaposes itself along with plot-forward voice over narration, intense on-camera arguments between Chayes and virtually everyone else, and long, emotion-invoking shots of Afghans flying kites on top of the mighty Afghan winds-something that was outlawed under Taliban rule.
While most Americans with a television should be at least vaguely aware of the situation in Afghanistan, Life After War, will not give any insight into the complex political issues there. It will, however, put a human face on the newspaper articles and television sound bites. Knappenberger's capitalization on Chayes' passion for the people there provides the most human element of the documentary. Chayes' comments may come off as self-righteous or a little too 'Peace Corp' for some, but her aggressive personality moves the film forward. Other Afghans in the film, particularly a village elder named Hadji who argues with Chayes over the size of the house she's building for him (a two-meter argument), provide some comic relief to this often frustrating and confusing film full of arguing and deliberation. The 72-minute film leaves some questions. If any of the countless hours of footage should have made it into the final cut, a little background on the villagers of Akokolacha should be the first to be included. Perhaps a return to Akokolacha after the entire village is reconstructed could bring some closure, as only one house is completed at the film's end.
Sound editor Anton Gold's use of traditional middle-eastern music is used during natively Afghan scenes, while scenes where Chayes dominates have a decidedly western theme. The contrasting cultures' music provides an example of how different Chayes is from her second home in the village. Editor Greg McDonald tended to drag out some scenes too long, particularly the ones where Chayes argues with local authorities over access to stone for the houses. Rebuilding a bombed village is among the grandest of ideals, but Chayes soon finds out that actually doing it comes much tougher than expected. She is faced with uncooperative authorities, skeptical villagers, her role as a women in a society that is just beginning to accept females as legitimate people, and an entirely new, incredibly harsh environment. The film's sources of tension are everywhere, but Chayes' perseverance, most likely fueled by her past as an aggressive reporter, aid her in achieving what seemed to be a very unlikely goal.
Knappenberger, who has done camera and cinematography work in other documentaries, most recently for a National Geographic film on the Discovery Channel, fully embraces the overwhelmingly brown atmosphere of the dusty Afghan desert. While the lack of color helps to immerse the viewer in the film, it also becomes slightly grating towards the film's end. The only relief from this comes early on, when stock news footage clips are shown. These clips showcase a few blues and greens, but also serve to give the viewer background on the state of post-Taliban Afghanistan.
The film, while it aired on PBS and had a limited theatrical release, did not seem to have a mammoth budget. The worst example of this occurs during Chayes' 14-hour trip on a rutted road through the Afghan desert without the use of a 'SteadyCam.' One cannot simply film a documentary on a post-war country and avoid any political implications, but Life After War, in its primary focus on the villagers of Akokolacha, manages to only touch on politics and U.S. involvement. Offhanded comments by Chayes in one scene exemplify this perfectly, when Afghans outfitted in U.S. army uniforms block her path when she attempts to gain access to a stone quarry. The rest of the film, however, puts a somewhat positive spin on the U.S. involvement, and Chayes' background as a reporter for the reputedly liberal National Public Radio does not interfere with much of the film.
Knappenberger's aforementioned use of network news clips does not necessarily have a political slant, although none of the clips criticize U.S. involvement. Many reporters, going back to Communist party member John Reed, have so involved themselves in their cause that simply reporting on the events is not enough. With Chayes, a personal request for help from a relative of Afghan President Hamid Karzai spurred her to activism. However, her passion for the Afghan cause is evident throughout the film. Her involvement leads her to the group Afghans for a Civil Society (ACS), whose main goal in the film is to rebuild the bombed-out village. ACS raises close to $20,000 at a Massachusetts fundraiser to rebuild that village, but the actual work comes much harder. Chayes' old role as a journalist who constantly answered to an editor is now flipped around, and she is faced with the task of mobilizing the villagers to rebuild their homes. She compares journalism to management, and admits later that she has trouble delegating work to less-than-enthused villagers. Life After War dances the line between an academic (read: boring) documentary and a cinematic (read: exciting) one quite well. The use of stock news footage, one-on-one interviews, and subtitles for virtually all of the Afghan dialogue juxtaposes itself along with plot-forward voice over narration, intense on-camera arguments between Chayes and virtually everyone else, and long, emotion-invoking shots of Afghans flying kites on top of the mighty Afghan winds-something that was outlawed under Taliban rule.
While most Americans with a television should be at least vaguely aware of the situation in Afghanistan, Life After War, will not give any insight into the complex political issues there. It will, however, put a human face on the newspaper articles and television sound bites. Knappenberger's capitalization on Chayes' passion for the people there provides the most human element of the documentary. Chayes' comments may come off as self-righteous or a little too 'Peace Corp' for some, but her aggressive personality moves the film forward. Other Afghans in the film, particularly a village elder named Hadji who argues with Chayes over the size of the house she's building for him (a two-meter argument), provide some comic relief to this often frustrating and confusing film full of arguing and deliberation. The 72-minute film leaves some questions. If any of the countless hours of footage should have made it into the final cut, a little background on the villagers of Akokolacha should be the first to be included. Perhaps a return to Akokolacha after the entire village is reconstructed could bring some closure, as only one house is completed at the film's end.
Sound editor Anton Gold's use of traditional middle-eastern music is used during natively Afghan scenes, while scenes where Chayes dominates have a decidedly western theme. The contrasting cultures' music provides an example of how different Chayes is from her second home in the village. Editor Greg McDonald tended to drag out some scenes too long, particularly the ones where Chayes argues with local authorities over access to stone for the houses. Rebuilding a bombed village is among the grandest of ideals, but Chayes soon finds out that actually doing it comes much tougher than expected. She is faced with uncooperative authorities, skeptical villagers, her role as a women in a society that is just beginning to accept females as legitimate people, and an entirely new, incredibly harsh environment. The film's sources of tension are everywhere, but Chayes' perseverance, most likely fueled by her past as an aggressive reporter, aid her in achieving what seemed to be a very unlikely goal.
