Three Songs for Benazir (2021)
★★★ — Three Songs for Benazir (2021)
Three Songs for Benazir is a short documentary made by the husband-and-wife directing team Elizabeth and Gulistan Mirzaei, an Afghan-American pair who had previously made the feature-length documentary The Other Side of the River (2020), which followed women fighters in northern Syria. This 24-minute film was produced independently through their own production company, shot on location in Kabul at a camp for internally displaced persons, and draws on direct access to its subjects rather than reconstruction or dramatisation. It earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Short Subject at the 2022 ceremony, a remarkable achievement for a low-resource, independently produced work. The film arrived at a particularly charged historical moment, completed and released as Afghanistan was on the brink of the Taliban's return to power in August 2021.
A beautifully shot, poetically told story that feels more like a visual poem than a traditional narrative film. Set in modern-day Afghanistan, this short film follows a young couple (a dreamer-poet and his wife) as they navigate life, love, and survival in a war-torn country. Visually, it’s stunning: the cinematography captures both the harshness and beauty of the landscape, and the use of music and silence really pulls you into their world. The concept is intriguing (blending spoken word poetry with documentary-style realism) and there are moments here that are genuinely moving. You can tell the filmmakers wanted to highlight not just the conflict, but the humanity, dreams, and quiet resilience that still exist in spite of it all. That said, it doesn't quite land with full emotional impact. The abstract storytelling and slow pacing might leave some viewers wanting more clarity or connection. At times, it feels like we’re only scratching the surface of these characters’ lives, rather than truly stepping into them. Still, it’s worth watching, especially if you're looking for something different, something that tries to capture a culture through art rather than headlines. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s a bold, artistic effort that deserves credit for trying something new.
Rating: ★★★ | Year: 2021 | Watched: 2025-05-20
Where to watch (UK)
Stream: Netflix · Netflix Standard with Ads
Physical: Amazon UK
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