Movie Review 'He Named Me Malala': Reality interwoven with dreams
Cast: Malala Yousafzai, Ziauddin Yousafzai
Director: Davis Guggenheim
Rating: 2.5 stars
Davis Guggenheim is a man of exceptional skill, he has a fine sense of blending and an uncanny ability of manoeuvring but that does not always give you a great documentary. Although these skills are highly essential and have helped him in previous occasions to bring to life some of the most exceptionally real stories. He Named Me Malala is Malala Yousafzai’s story — a story of survival, of revolt, of ambition, rights and emerging voices. She survived a fatal attempt at her life when Taliban tried to gun her down to keep her from speaking against its autocratic and treacherous methods. The documentary walks close to her, stays within the family, exploring a father-daughter relationship that was essential for the choices that she made. It is perplexing but depending on who you are, you will be disturbed by different things in the documentary. As a father you might feel angry, as a daughter you might feel that your choices are somehow not your own, as a layman you will want to sulk over the irony in the ideology and religious beliefs and what they could lead to. If, however, you see it as an activist you will find more fire for your spirit.
For me, the documentary does not reveal much about either Malala or her father Ziauddin Yousafzai, as much as it allows me to peek into the harsh realities of the societies that co-exist in the world. It gives me a perspective on why Syria is undergoing a crisis, why Pakistan is struggling to maintain peace within, why girls are being kidnapped by Boko Haram, how drone bombings are ultimately increasing terrorism. It gives me a perspective, but does not give me more.
In He Named Me Malala, Davis tries to keep the focus on the father-daughter relationship, he even uses glimpses of his own daughters in the documentary perhaps exploring his own relationship with his daughters. But for most part of the story, it seems like a very superficial one — the unfamiliarity of characters with the medium seems to be a reason. In momentary archival footage however, things seem very different, more humane and very natural. In those glimpses you see how Ziauddin has been a man of principles, a man who would stand up and speak for the right. A man who was a good orator despite stammering, and someone who had a willingness and the resources to match his actions to his words. A
part from this investigation of the father-daughter relationship, the movie also tries to slightly touch upon Malala’s other interests, her daily routines, homework, perceptions about the Western culture and her unemphatic bond with her mother. There is too much heroism, and too little weakness and that is where the narrative seems to falter. The documentary has a very interesting pattern. Since there is very little archival material that is available to Davis, and it is mot possible to take Malala to Pakistan’s SWAT Valley for recreating scenes or for establishing the context, Davis has made clever use of his team of animators who worked to create a beautiful back story. This backstory, supplemented by soothing music is sometimes too real. It’s also the kind of thing that happens when you reflect on your own life. In retrospect everything seems to have happened as per the plan, everything seems to have happened for a reason and it’s easy to justify the choices you had to make at each step in life. But that is not the case when you look at the present and the future.
In documentaries where the principal character or all characters are enacted, it is easier to bring out the confusion of the moment and chaos of the situation. Malala’s presence is indeed impressive on screen. I attempted to find and substitute my answer, “harsh socio-economic realities of developing nations coupled with a little motivation, create such individuals who are willing to make that choice on a daily basis”. But this answer may not ring the bell with you, as I said, depending on who you are, you will perceive the documentary differently. Perhaps that’s where Davis will find success in his efforts, but as a tool to motivate women to fight for their rights it might fall short in the populations where it is expected to do inspire and motivate.
The writer is founder, Lightcube Film Society
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