The Boy Mir (2011)
After ten years of conflict costing $500 billion, after $50 billion of aid and infrastructure works, after thousands dead and thousands injured on both side of the conflict Afghanistan, the fulcrum of the war on terror, seems to be in a marginally better situation than a decade ago. This sobering conclusion lies at the heart of the new documentary The Boy Mir, a sorry tale of wasted opportunities and grinding poverty, seen through the eyes of the indigenous population personified in the form of Mir and his immediate family, he being an adolescent who mistakenly wondered into the viewfinder of acclaimed documentarian Phil Grabsky back in 2001. Over the intervening years Grabsky and his team have repeatedly returned to a remote western province to film Mir and his family, a format reminiscent of course of the Michael Apted’s acclaimed 7-Up series in a somewhat concertinaed form, as the fortunes and fate of his birthplace are explored through the tandem experiences of a new generation of Afghan citizens struggling for survival in turbulent times.
The Boy Mir is a refreshing portrait of a resilient and proud people, providing a unique insight into a culture usually portrayed as a swarthy attired, AK47 wielding enemy which of course is not universally the case. Recent documentaries such as Restrepo and Armadillo have been formatted through the eyes of allied infantrymen, a design that charts the natural outcomes of combat, violence and loss but Mir takes a more gentle approach, after a brief context setting montage Grabsky allows Mir and his father, his half-brother and mother to speak for themselves, occupying the fly on the wall approach that can give such a distanced immediacy to the subjects under scrutiny. Afghanistan emerges as a beautiful yet laboured country where a day-to-day struggle for the basics of survival are required, whether it be tending the livestock, tilling the fields, working the treacherous mines or seeking any sort of paying labour. Mir emerges as a likeable, committed young man whose optimism seems unabated by the gloomy prospects, and the familiar, universal dimensions of family life are present – the domestic squabbles, the adolescent misbehaviour, the passage of birthdays and festivals – proving that just alike any other culture on the planet the same universal truths are apparent; that everyone is concerned about security and keeping a roof over their head, that parents strive for their offspring to seize the opportunities that they can, and we all hope the best for the future even in uncertain climes. The film ends on a dour note with some shards of hope for the future, although the Western powers withdrawal is programmed and the Taliban seem to be recovering territory, prompting concerns of an imminent civil war, some implements of improvement have been secured in the forms of schools and clinics, even if the qualified and dedicated staff to man these posts are somewhat hard to find. Sobering and illuminating, The Boy Mir is crucial viewing as an insight into the actions and investment into nation building taken in our name.
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