Shaista and Benazir have a baby on the way, and Shaista must make decisions that he believes are best for him and his family. As he pursues a number of options, Three Songs for Benazir expresses the difficulties that exist within a refugee camp in Afghanistan. As Shaista makes up his mind on how he believes he will best be able to support his family, life throws him a curveball–can he survive?
Three Songs for Benazir is a documentary, directed by Elizabeth Mirzaei and Gulistan Mirzaei, that attempts to express the realities of human displacement as a result of war in the Middle East. While it does a great job of expressing the difficulties that exist within this world, what it does a better job of doing is telling a story about the general culture in Afghanistan–particularly within the hierarchy of the families that live there.
Shaista is a terrible singer, but as one may have guessed because of the title–he sings three songs to the love of his life, Benazir. I’m not worried about the fact that he may be a tad tone deaf, what I am worried about, however, is the fact that he is willing to, through his musical faults, express his love to Benazir any way that he can. Three Songs for Benazir astutely expresses the fact that love is alive and well, but that difficult times can often put a strain on the family dynamic. I felt for both Shaista and Benazir throughout the course of Three Songs for Benazir, and the passion that exists between the two shines brightly through the horror of the lives they live.
The Mirzaeis get up close and personal throughout the film, almost to the point that it feels invasive–and with this, parts of Three Songs for Benazir begins to feel more like a narrative than a documentary. Shaista, Benazir, and the others never react to the fact that they are on camera, they never flinch at the fact that someone is very literally in their faces, recording their every movement, every word–and something about it feels fabricated. I’m certainly not accusing the filmmakers of developing something fake, but the fact that viewers are almost forced to question the validity at one point or another is a strike against them. At the Australian Screen Editors Awards, Three Songs for Benazir won the award for Best Editing in a Documentary/Series, and that editing certainly plays a role in the reception of the film. The potential is that the editing is so well done that the parts of uncomfortability or where the subjects were thrown off by the camera were omitted. However, the fact that things feel hyperreal throughout a good portion of Three Songs for Benazir turns me off to the film a bit.
I feel that the emotion is present in Three Songs for Benazir, even if that emotion sometimes feels hyperreal. I felt present in the camps represented in the film, and I felt for Shaista and Benazir–and the fact that this is captured at all is a testament to what Elizabeth and Gulistan Mirzaei are willing to do in order to spread the word about the things occurring in Afghanistan. Three Songs for Benazir conveys a positive message of tenacity and fighting for the ones you love–it’s a testament to love, and it’s an emotional documentary that most will be able to get behind.
Directed by Elizabeth Mirzaei & Gulistan Mirzaei.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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