

Director: Christian Frei

The Official Website
see
http://www.giant-buddhas.com/en/synopsis/

The film is based on the destruction of the famous Bamiyan Buddhas in 2001 ...

My thoughts ...

(i) The overall message was good ...

In particular, I like the segment at the end ... depicting the family whose lives are changed ... they were also depicted in the beginning ... bringing the entire film to a higher level ... reiterating that the whole issue is NOT just about religion ... but something that is closer to "home" ... i.e., families as well ...

(ii) I also like the segment which depicts the aftermath and "restoration" efforts ... e.g., building a replica ... e.g., using photogrammetry and anastylosis ...

(iii) A very thought provoking line ... Quote, "... that the statue of Buddha was not demolished by anybody. It crumbled out of shame, out of shame for the world's ignorance towards Afghanistan ..."

What could be better ...

(i) The narratives ... While the film does revolve around the Giant Buddhas, it does not engage the audience sufficiently to be emotionally attached nor "curious enough" to want to know what happens next ... the different paths that the director takes (in terms of narration/story telling) also does not make it feel very "coherent" or "taut" in terms of story telling ... better editing is encouraged ...

Conclusion
Above average