Afghan Muscles 2007
Distributed by Cinema Guild, 115 West 30th Street, Suite 800, New York, NY 10001; 212-685-6242
Produced by Michael Haslund-Christensen – Haslund Film
Directed by Andreas M. Dalsgaard
DVD, color, 60 min.
College - Adult
Middle Eastern Studies, Men's Studies, Gender Studies, Sociology, War, Afghanistan
Date Entered: 11/21/2008
Reviewed by Malcolm L. Rigsby, Department of Sociology, Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia, ARAfghan Muscles is an eye opening experience of how some young Afghan men are attempting to maintain order in their lives and establish goals that enable them to escape the devastation that has encroached upon their homeland.
This documentary is stark in its depiction of the ability of the individual spirit to survive and to develop personal pride when many individuals would seek merely to survive. Through the eyes of the screen, four young Afghan men expose their personal aspirations to the world. In a way, each man’s life is a part of our own. The streets of Kabul may be war-torn and the sound of artillery and weapons may be a constant, but through these men’s lives, we find inspiration in their search for meaning in life. The vehicle for attaining pride and drive to keep looking to tomorrow’s horizon is the desire to be the best or at least the best in terms of a team effort to be the model male physique in not just Afghan, but in all Asia. Although briefly, we are part of this challenge, we share their happiest moments of victory, the trials of training and the trials that sometimes accompany daily life.
In particular, we share the innermost feelings of Hamid. While all the men are an inspiration to set goals even in dismal times, Hamid serves as a personal mirror into what it is to seek what he strives to achieve. We see his tears and his smiles. We share success and loss. We hear his laugh and his heartfelt words as he describes the loss of his brother and as he interacts with his father over the family desire that he retire and take a wife and raise a family. Within these myriad emotions, we find in his demeanor and philosophy, a challenge. This challenge comes to us unspoken. Nevertheless, through the collective aura that we identify within Hamid there is a clear statement made. The challenge… “Set your goals and give yourself totally in an effort to do your best regardless the odds”.
This film is a recommendation to all young men. Regardless the nation, or the people it delivers a strong message to “seek your best”.