MovieChat Forums > He Named Me Malala (2015) Discussion > This board is upsetting

This board is upsetting

posted 9 years ago by shortysi_uk
8 replies | jump to latest

I mainly came on this board out of curiosity for the low rating on IMDB. I thought perhaps those who had seen the film might have more information. But the level of ignorance and bigotry that I found instead is frankly shocking.
How lucky people in the west are that free education and freedom of speech are taken for granted so much, that people can't understand how impressive it is for a young girl to stand up to terrorists and to defy their threats. I'm pretty positive that the people on here have never and will never need to survive an assassination attempt, for speaking their mind and feeling that they deserve to be able to go to school.
There is a comment on here somewhere which seems to imply that after Malala was shot she was rushed to the UK where she received emergency surgery. The comment then implies that this shouldn't have been allowed to happen because there are people in the UK dying because they can't get a hospital bed. For starters she wasn't rushed here she was operated on in Pakistan and then taken to Germany. The UK only offered to take her after that. Secondly, although the NHS is struggling in this country and I do appreciate that waiting times for operations etc are quite long, I for one am proud that as a nation we decided to help someone like Malala. The UK and the U.S are guilty of over preaching about the glorious ways of the west being the best way to many countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan. It would have seemed a bit hypocritical if we didn't help people such as Malala who's forward thinking ways (relative to her part of Pakistan) are western in her views on education and free speech.

Are there other people doing similar work and carrying similar messages to Malala around the world? - Absolutely.

Do they deserve recognition and perhaps a documentary? - Sure.

But can Malala still be a symbol for strength, courage and the basic right humans have to educate themselves? - Abso-fuqing=lutely

I Sympathise with Lars Von Trier.

[–] joekiddlouischama 8 years ago

She is obviously very intelligent and possesses an incredible facility with language, and she provides a useful and stark counter-narrative to the notion that all Muslims are basically Taliban/ISIS members.

[–] laura1-07 8 years ago

Well said.

[–] Buckster69 8 years ago

I think the opinions that are expounded on this board demonstrate a very healthy cynicism of the many agenda driven campaigns we in the west are exposed to. Malala clearly has sizeable team behind her leading to the simple question of why?

1) If you are a non-muslim (with half a brain) then we don’t need such a simplistic and obviously divisive figurehead. Why do we need to be told about female education in Afghanistan or Pakistan? Throughout history many powerful nations have tried and failed to bring education and social empowerment to this region, only for the locals to forcibly kick them out. Malala can read out scripts to the UN and other forums until she is blue in the face but it won’t change a thing. How many people in said region will see this movie? Probably none. So who is the movie aimed really at? Is it just some liberal hand wringing guilt trip?

2) If you are a muslim then it must be very frustrating to see the west deliberately adopt and promote such a simplistic and backward view of your complex religion and culture, based on the experiences of a teenage girl who is clearly being backed by another culture. Centuries of ingrained religious indoctrination isn’t going to be undone by something that is akin to an ‘X-Factor’ backstory.

Is the Malala 'product' an overly simplistic attempt to raise awareness or a cynical ploy to build a charity brand that Oprah and the Obama’s can hang their profitable hats on?

In an age where media and politics are continually being manipulated for the ends of the powerful and elite, 'He called me Malala’ has all the resonance of a 9th grade dissertation on inter-dimensional physics and will create more confusion and resentment than was there to begin with.

I watched the film and thought that, even as a piece of documentary making, it lacked focus and purpose. Oddly, I feel, the exact same reasons that is driving the critisism and not just on these messageboards.

[–] deadtv1 8 years ago

It all felt rather hollow to me.
As if Davis Guggenheim was so impressed by Malala that he forgot that other people don't necessarily share his blind adoration.

Result is a superficial, overly polished attempt at propaganda. Very little substance.

[–] Prismark10 8 years ago

'As if Davis Guggenheim was so impressed by Malala that he forgot that other people don't necessarily share his blind adoration. '

Well the Taliban do not!

It's that man again!!

[–] benman46 8 years ago

This is an Imdb board, you can't expect intelligent discussion. It's where the bottom feeders hang out.

[–] marlarkey 8 years ago

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]