Mina Walking is the feature film debut from Yosef Baraki, originally from Afghanistan but now residing in Canada. The film, exploring the life of a young Afghan girl, had it’s world premiere at the Berlinale as part of it’s Generation selection.
The film focuses on seven days in the life of Mina (Farzana Nawabi), an impulsive twelve-year-old who, in order to care for her senile grandfather, and drug-addled father, must take to streets selling cheap trinkets and neglect her education. We follow her as she struggles to emancipate her father from the local, smooth-talking, drug dealer, and attempts to secretly attend school.
Shot in a semi-documentary style, the camera always stays with Mina as she walks the busy streets, effectively reflecting the chaotic nature of the city, and her life. Shooting her from above during the hectic market scenes emphasises this message. Although a practical solution to avoid too much unwanted attention, it serves to highlight the turbulent nature of the location by viewing Mina’s interactions on a larger scale. We can see that the wider world surrounding her is just as chaotic as her immediate one.
The natural feel is not accidental. Baraki wants to put us in Mina’s shoes and feel her life. Of course the way of shooting emphasises this, but so does the free-flowing rhythm of the dialogue. The amateur actors were given a treatment rather than a full script to work from, leaving much of the dialogue superbly improvised. This makes 12-year-old Farzana Nawabi’s performance even more impressive.
The young actor improvises effortlessly in the potentially difficult market scenes with the general public, and never misses a beat. Her portrayal of Mina is incredibly natural, and completely engaging. She manages to play both feisty and vulnerable in equal measure, leaving no doubt that the audience is on her side, right from the very beginning.
Mina Walking is clearly a personal project for Yosef Baraki, with him wanting to highlight the troubles that young Afghans face as they try to live their lives in the shadow of the Taliban. Nawabi’s natural performance, combined with the active camera, and free-flowing dialogue makes it feel like we are really getting a slice of Afghan culture and some of the situations young Afghans face. Mina Walking is a thoroughly enthralling and engaging film with an important story.
★★★★