Article #231

A daughter’s death is the catalyst for a difficult journey to Kabul, chronicled in this claustrophobic documentary about the void left by trauma

Living in the remote, mountainous Daikundi province in central Afghanistan, the Khawari family is part of the Hazara community, one of the most persecuted ethnic groups in the region. The family’s day-to-day life is coloured by tragedy: while enrolled at Kabul University, Zahra, the eldest daughter, killed herself after her thesis was repeatedly rejected by her supervisors. Named after an indigenous plant that survives in the harsh climate of the region, Ilyas Yourish and Shahrokh Bikaran’s searing film is anchored by the family’s resolute quest for justice.

From the beginning, Kamay contextualises Zahra’s death within a bloody history of ethnic violence. Back in the 19th century, more than half of the Hazara population were massacred during the reign of Abdur Rahman Khan. Nearly 200 years later, systematic brutality and discrimination continue, now with the Taliban as perpetrators. As the Khawari family make difficult journeys through rough country to Kabul, the film inhabits this atmosphere of claustrophobia and fear. The camera often gazes at the open road through the windscreen of a cramped car or bus, a recurring composition that embodies the uncertainties and dangers that pave the Khawaris’ path.