Skateistan

Skateistan is a beautiful documentary about Afghanistan first skateboarding school. In a country where they problems are well documented it was nice to see how skating has bought a community together and help build relationship between, male and females but also to breake down the stigma in the Afghanistan army.

During the interview we see a young girl called Fazilla and skateboarding is her passion yet her father disagrees with her skateboarding, as she’s female. I thought this was quite a power scene in the documentary and really shows the dived between male and females.

As well as having a great narrative and subject matter, it also really well filmed and editor.  Some off the shots of the kids skating are amazing and isn’t filmed like your typically skating film. The contrast between the beautiful backdrops, derelict building, broken tanks and the kids skating create a really cinematic documentary. Another strength in this film is the cut aways, a number of times we see what seems to be random images of goats heads or shots of the markets, to me this the contrast between our lives and there. What we find quite disturbing a is quite normal to them, its like they have become desensitized, to valance and war.  

Overall i think it's an effective documentary as it raises many questions, such as how can we keep the peace and stop war in places such as Kabul.  I feel that the director dealt with an important issue in a very effective way by having it come from children.  It makes the information, that they want to grow up in a peaceful environment, even more hard-hitting.