We are taken on a harrowing journey through the desert borderline between two dangerous countries, a journey that is filled with difficulties and perils. But by the end of the film, we are left with no emotional or intellectual reward for having accompanied our protagonist and the one person (the black American posing as an Afghani) who is trustworthy on this harrowing venture. Perhaps the emptiness of her sudden imprisonment (at the very point of the movie's end) and the fact that it made her effort pointless is supposed to be the director's point. If so, an actual documentary instead of this invented story may well have proven more effective, as it would indicate the numerous times such tragic stories occured instead of investing so much time in this fictional one. Yes, the sight of so many severed limbs is sickening and compelling, evoking our empathy. But other than the two characters listed above, there are NO characters to have empathy for, to identify with. I especially disliked the militant Iman and the shrieking, histrionic boy students. What decent human souls sing the praises of a gun with the power to kill and then rip through the dead flesh of victims? How can we feel sorry for a young boy who demands outrageous amounts of money to be a guide, and then steals a ring from a skeleton? Even the man with no hand that tries to squeeze the UN doctors out of a much needed pair of legs is more annoying than worthy of help. What is to be made of a country where baby dolls are used to lure young girls to mines that will destroy their limbs? To me, it is as if the entire nation (and not just the protagonist's sister) is determined to commit suicide. To which this viewer was left to respond," go ahead."

6/10