In Her Hands
So I am writing this after seeing NOTHING about Massoum on the internet. This documentary is good, hard but good. I see critiques that feel like it was an "attempt" or "misguided." But I think it is realistic for a slice of life for a 26 yo women in Afghanistan. It's difficult to watch because she is a HUMAN. She is not perfect and she is still figuring things out like any 26 yo. A big example is the sudden break from Massoum was not ideal for a documentary as it made the protagonist not "pure and good". I bet the two are about the same age. He seemed like a beautiful soul, a rose growing in concrete. Although I hate how things ended between them they both were in charge of their families at that point. Zarifa felt like her fathers death was on her and she had to look after her mother and ALL of her siblings who were freaking planning how they'd commit if they were captured!!! So I don't fault her. Massoum had a daughter that he had to survive for whatever it took, despite this I never felt he truly changed his principles. Which I admired despite him being left in hell. I wish them all the best and if anything the movie showed that there are both men and women who could lead Afghanistan to a better future.
