Pablo I really liked Afghan Star for a couple reasons. Firstly, I liked seeing how something like music, and this TV show, can bring such a torn country so close together. There are what seems like countless ethnic groups in Afghanistan, and most of the singers were from a different one each. Even with their differences, they were all supportive of each other, and their fans seemed to follow this behavior as well. Many people, regardless of origin, would always gather together to watch the show on Friday nights. Another thing I really liked is that since it was a documentary, it showed you the country exactly how it is, it didn't have any backstory or anything like that. Consequently, it showed me that Afghanistan has a pretty cold climate. In all the media I have seen involving Afghanistan, like the news, and images of the war, it always seems like a desert, with little to no rainfall or cold. The opening scene of this movie was snowy mountains. Another thing that I found very interesting about this film was the role of religion. In most Middle Eastern countries, music is banned. When music in Afghanistan was unbanned, you could tell that some devoutly religious, people still frowned upon it. Because of this, I was very surprised to see the first place winner, Rafi, walk into a mosque and receive a blessing for good luck in his performance. His religious affiliation seemed to condone his actions. Also, I think I remember the women being treated much more unfairly than the men. I feel like they received far more criticism and hate than the men that also sang.

Cameron Crawford Afghan Star was a documentary that served the purpose of showing how the Afghan people live and what their culture does to them. The Afghan Star television show is similar to American Idol and other singing competition shows. This movie chooses to follow two women, in particular, Setara and Lema. Setara is the first of the two to get eliminated, and she is allowed a final performance. In this performance, she passionately sings and chooses to dance, which is forbidden in Islamic culture. The dancing in her performance brings her death threats and exclusion from her people. Setara really shows the struggles that many women go through in Afghanistan, and I think that is what this movie is really trying to portray. Gender equality in Afghanistan is one of the lowest in the world, which is definitely shown in this film. After Setara is eliminated, the focus of the documentary shifts to the final three contestants, Hameed, Rafi and Lema. These finalists are all from different tribes, and they all want Afghan unity. Since many Afghans watch this show, a plea for unity may actually be heard.

olrovin This was such a well done documentary that gave me a completely new perspective on the country of Afghanistan and its people. I cannot believe that music was banned in Afghanistan for about 20 years and only recently (the early 2000s) was it finally allowed again. Afghan Star is the first and only singing talent competition TV show that Afghanistan has ever had. It is such a big deal because not only does it involve singing, but it also is the first time that many Afghans have been exposed to democracy and been able to take advantage of it. The voting for Afghan Star is all done through SMS messages that the people send from their mobile phones which is also cool because I had never realized or thought about the idea that everyone in Afghanistan would have a cell phone. I thought it was crazy how when one of the competitors, Setara, danced on national TV everyone freaked out, and men were calling her "loose" and saying that she should die. Clearly the society is still very conservative and rigid when it comes to this, and while they may accept and enjoy singing, dancing is something that the Afghan people are definitely not ready for. Overall, I would give this film four out of five stars.

paul2001sw-1 Most of us are familiar with the images of Afghanistan at war, or under the Taliban; but until the rebellion against the Soviet invasion, the country was a relatively modern state, at least in the capital. As the nation attempts to find peace after decades of conflict, 'Afghan Star' follows the screening of a 'Pop Idol' style television program, apparently gripping the nation. The show is hardly racy by Western standards; indeed, with men in dodgy suits and understandably limited production values, the program feels as if it could have been made in the 1970s, before the wars started. But what we see in this film is how strikingly, and tragically, Afghanistan has moved backwards in the intervening years; and how a latent national enthusiasm for having fun is pitched against a deep set religiosity, sometimes within the same individuals. When one of the female contestants takes off her headscarf to sing, one feels a little uneasy; as an outsider, one can only guess at the true nature of the risks she is taking. In my own country, I tend to decry this kind of cheap entertainment, and there's a sense in which the reactionaries have a point when they lament the invasion of foreign culture; but they offer only regression and ignorance as an alternative. Yet when the popular enthusiasm for voting for a favourite star seems in part driven by the sense of futility in voting in elections, one fears that the dark days may not yet be over.