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Trampled Flowers

"The Black Tulip" was Afghanistan's official entry for the 2011 Academy Awards, but it was not good enough to capture an Oscar or garner a nomination. What it is, actually, is a valiant attempt to tell firsthand what life in current day Afghanistan is like. On that level it succeeds. Unfortunately as a work of art it is not a very professional piece. That said, one can't help but admire the attempt of writer-director-actress Sonia Nassery Cole in what must be the most trying of circumstances.

The setting is Kabul and the war between the Taliban and the people of the country appears tilted in favor of the people, but from the first frame of "The Black Tulip" we are well aware that the Taliban is still firmly entrenched and still poses a formidable threat to anyone who is not an adherent of the beliefs of the Taliban.

Hadar (Haji Gul Aser) and his wife Farishta (Cole) have opened up a new restaurant called The Poet's Corner. Years earlier, Farishta's father owned a restaurant where one could also share poetry and music. The Taliban had shut that down, but now Farishta is rekindling it in memory of her father, but in the alley behind the newly opened restaurant we see what we are assume are a few gentlemen who are Taliban members. Clearly trouble is just around the corner.

The expected trouble comes and tragedies are everywhere, each one designed to tug at our heartstrings. To some degree this is accomplished, but whether it be the heavy handedness of the presentation or the lack of acting skills, the overall impression is that it is all too cookie-cutter. It's hard to criticize such a noble effort and certainly "The Black Tulip" is worth a viewing, but don't expect too much. It's worth a couple of tulips but is not bouquet-worthy.