Also - I knew as much as the next person about the taliban but watching it in action brings that knowledge to a whole other level - and really hits home.

A must see for sure. I saw the interview at the end with the director cos I was really curious about how they shot it. The authenticity is amazing. They used real people in Afghanistan - there were no professional actors! - and the kids were just heartbreaking. I can't wait for you to see it and tell me what you thought.

The name used to turn me off, but it has nothing to do with bin Laden! The movie is more sophisticated than I expected and we watched it twice - crying both times. :)

Along the lines of a Time for Drunken Horses.

I havent seen it!

Intelligence - Thanks! It's good to find a kindred spirit out there. When I lived in NYC I loved watching new indie foreign films and now that I'm in the midwest, Netflix provides some solace. So I look forward to your providing great insights, and recommendations cos I need them!!

My most recent great film to watch was Osama - so heartbreaking, and so well done. What did you think?

BTW, Banglamom, what you added was very interesting whether you saw the film or not! Thanks :)

will do :)

Aww thanks for the vote of confidence Banglamom, you're such a sweetie Mashallah!

Second chances, yes. I'm with you on that one. We're 'only human' and therefore can't possibly be expected to get things right the first time, all of the time. 2nd chances are a blessing, we can only try, but whatever way you look at it, things always work out for the best anyway.

Speaking of second chances - everyone needs to believe in them, and be given their one.

I appreciate the movie synopsis and also the earlier reviews - just not able to join in because have nothing interesting to add as have not seen movie. But I like your taste and look forward to more from you. And get as indepth as possible. Thanks.

Aahh Ramsey et Brain, chatting away like this really takes me back to when Naseeb was a friendly and homely kind of place! lol

Hello brain, I've been criticised in the past (I think it was when I posted the Bad Education review) for writing about movies in too much detail, not that that one criticism put me off because a person can still not convey everything about a movie they've seen and even if they try, they only pick up on reference points that tend to mean something to them or that they found worthy of note for whatever reason! So I'll continue with the indepth reviews and the simple synopsis' but try not to put too many spoilers into it!

I'm well, although I check into Naseeb daily I spend my time just posting and then getting on with life in general so sorry I havent stopped by to say Hi! Have tried to keep up with the movies myself, and have been rediscovering the joys of reading and eating! See my last couple of JE's ;)

hi intel. thks for the simple yet luring synopsis. havent kept up with this VE nor watching real movies. hope ur well

No, no, thank you. Actually I agree, it's getting hard for me to keep up with all the cinema villages and yet there's not much that goes on in them... Sparring partner you say? It would be my pleasure :)

Oh and thanks for the compliment on my synopsis (A)

RamseyNR, Thanks for leaving a comment! I was starting to think I was the only person who'd seen it...

I think that's just the point of the film, that serendepitous chance encounter that makes his heart skip that beat and throws him into that strange dimension where he rediscovers his passion for expression through music and momentarily believes that he might have a second chance... I mean, we quite obviously see that he is not cut out to be a concert pianist, that he plays the music as he wants to hear it played whilst not feeling anything except frustration at not being able to connect how he hears it in his head with how his fingers play it on the piano. Boils down to the fact that he lacked talent... However, what I liked about the film was the message that sometimes we do get another shot at things if we want to take it, they might not even work out second time round but sometimes we need to take the second shot to satisfy ourselves rather than others, to know for sure. He didnt turn out to be a concert pianist in the end but it all happened for a reason, the end scene showing him driving his Chinese tutor to her own first recital and implying that there was something more significant between them now (two years on), whether he was her manager/lover was unclear but he was her piano tuner and in some way he had found some sought of role to play in the world of music, which he needed as it was what stopped him short of killing someone. We all need a balance in life, we all need some escapism from reality and he found his escapism (from the corrupt dealings and world of GBH) through that.

I dont think the film was pretentious... it was actually lacked glamour for one thing, it was gritty and uncool if anything. Implausible yes, perhaps but stupid? I think I'd disagree there.