This exceptional film quite caught me by surprise. For some reason, I assumed its focus would be on spirituality -- and it is, but not in the manner I anticipated. What some reviewers have criticized as separate, disjointed narratives colliding with each other may be valid, yet that's the film's genius, I think. Rather than an omniscient narrator drily explaining each situation, the directors largely let the material speak for itself, with minimal intrusion. The character of the separate narratives may be best presented in this way, and most accurately reflect the experience of composing a film on Afghanistan. The result is rather like a well-presented book of diaries of some common experience, in which the editor provides only minimal background information, letting the material speak for itself. It's a refreshing and revealing approach which works quite well, in my opinion. And it's certainly the best film I've seen on Afghanistan.

This film is very effective in conveying the harsh beauty of Afghanistan, using sweeping or time-lapsed shots of the barren landscape and mountain ranges. It also shows the people of these remote regions and some of their daily activities, and it paints a powerful picture of a country scarred by war.The narrative, if you would call it that, is about a few groups of children who live as bands of robbers and miners. Their stories are obviously fictional and fantastic. Interspersed with scenes with the children is footage of US and Afghan soldiers, some of it actual combat footage. The scenes with military personnel are undoubtedly not staged, but cut in a way that they loosely fit the film. A few scenes are played by actors portraying soldiers.Initially, I was mesmerized by the images of the landscape and people. But as the movie dragged on, there was very little I could relate to story-wise. It all seemed very random to me, a collection of scenes with no real direction or cohesion. Sure, one of the children has a dream he is pursuing, but to me that was not enough to carry the film.I should think that the real stories of the people in the film are probably much more interesting and worth telling. The kids looked like they had fun acting though.Apparently this took seven years to make. Since the actors did not age at all during the story, I would say six years worth of collected footage was combined with a weak narrative shot in a few months, to warrant a theatrical release. Interesting but it lacked substance.

This film is amazing. From the first minute, I was gripped by the incredibly desolate Afghan landscape, by the otherworldliness of the scenes, which are beautiful and bizarre at the same time, and by the way Afghanistan is shown: torn apart by war and violence.Belgian director Pieter-Jan De Pue has made this film in a semi-documentary style. He documents the lives of a gang of teenage boys, living in a yurt high in the Pamir mountains. They make a living by robbing or supporting passing camel caravans, whichever pays best.When the film progresses, you realize that most of it must be fictional, but that doesn't really matter. It's the visual way De Pue tells the story of this country that counts. He contrasts the scenes of the boys with footage of American soldiers shooting and bombing the nearby villages. These scenes are clearly not fictional, they are the result of De Pues short assignment as an embedded photographer.The real challenge must have been to edit all the material, in order to make a coherent movie. The director uses old tales, told by a voice-over, to create a fairytale-like atmosphere. But the reality contrasts in a spectacular way with these old tales. One very telling scene shows an American officer, holding a passionate speech for a group of local men, with the help of an interpreter. We have made your area safer, he tells them, and it will remain safe if you help us. Are you willing to do that, yes or no? All he gets for an answer is complete silence.De Pue has put his heart and soul into this film, and has risked his life making it. But it has paid off. This is a film that leaves you gaping in amazement, and in admiration for the effort he has put into it.

-In this seamless blend of fictional and documentary form, we experience a stunning cinematic journey into the beauty of war-tormented Afghanistan. Shot over seven years on evocative 16mm footage, first-time director Pieter-Jan De Pue paints a whimsical yet haunting look at the condition of Afghanistan left for the next generation. As American soldiers prepare to leave, we follow De Pue deep into this hidden land where young boys form wild gangs to control trade routes, sell explosives from mines left over from war, and climb rusting tanks as playgrounds-making the new rules of war based on the harsh landscape left to them. De Pue's transportative and wonderfully crafted film confronts the visceral beauty and roughness of survival, serving as a testament to the spirited innovation of childhood and the extreme resilience of a people and country. - Sundance Film Festival Credits ***The fact that it took 7 years in order to film this documentary explains many why this documentary went so much higher than the initial budjet, but that a great deal of money would be assumed for the images showed raises objection.***