He Named Me Malala (2015)

Touches You

A Masterpiece!

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

It is very commendable that they are distributing this documentary, genre that obviously is not in liquidation. But I confess that more and more appreciable the genre and the evolution that the human being suffered (a key was the Oscar Academy rules that rejects the narratives!).

Malala, a girl who had lived in northern Pakistan, was shot in her head by Taliban for daring to suggest that girls should go to school. This may be true. But the fact is that in all over Pakistan, we still have schools, girls do go to school. People's minds are clear that education they must give to their children, to give them a hope of better future.So in the depicted story, it is just a corner plot, a way to defame Pakistan. Moreover it was said that Mullah Fazlullah was a 'Radio mullah'. I do have strong doubts about this statement. Taliban were a small group of militants. How could have they acquired the equipment to set up an FM station of their own and summon on it everyday. It takes a lot of money, access to international market and some genius mind to install it. Surely a group this conservative mind could not do this. So its easier said than done.Finally the opening quote in this film is misquoted. It was originally said by 'Tipu Sultan', a Muslim sub-continent king who said: 'It's better to live like a lion for one day, than to live like a coward for 100 years'. So a correction is required in this regard.Overall it is a misguide of quotes, facts and figures, a hype, a propaganda. Malali's family must have been paid a huge sum of money to be a part of this plot in this film. It must have been scripted by western minds to defame my country. So in real life she has played a role of traitor to her country.However, I support the cause that 'pen and book are the strong weapons'. But don't forget that today's strong weapon is MEDIA. And through this film it has tried to change the perspective of a common western person that Pakistan is full of militants of this kind, and girls are shot like Malala. But its surely not true.

I gave this movie a go because it was uploaded only a few days ago on Putlocker and of course, I have heard a lot about Malala especially promoting for girls to have education in poorer countries. I really felt relieved that she is alive today for speaking up because rarely, people normally don't survive with a gunshot wound to their face. Fortunately, young Malala was lucky to have survived. The Taliban are crazy nutjobs just like Bako Haram, ISIS and other dangerous groups who are extremely heartless. As Malala's father has said, they basically use Islam for an excuse to bring power into destroying people's lives! Such a cruel world we are living in like Jesus!Anyways onto Malala again, I loved seeing her two brothers, they were so funny since of course, they are younger then Malala and they think they are the big guys of the family. They are like every child and teens of the world, they like to tease their siblings a lot. Thankfully my brother and I are outgrown the teasing since we are too old for that now haha! Im sure deep inside, they are very proud of their sister for winning awards and speaking out for girls like herself. She is like three years younger then me and god, i wouldn't be brave as she is. She has such a personality that you are immediately drawn to, she is a very kind, caring, intelligent, ambitious and courageous person that you could ever met in this world! I say in years time, she will be always known as the girl who escaped from war and that would mean for a lot of people who had the same experience as her!

Having saved the world so many times, how many superheroes have you seen on the cover of Time magazine? That's right, they don't exist. But real heroes do and they don't need superpowers or a fancy costume to stand in the face of injustice. As a defender of truth and equality in the times we live in, this is the incredible true story of Malala Yousafzai, a real hero whose only weapon is indelible courage. From Academy Award winning director Davis Guggenheim and produced by Imagenation Abu Dhabi, He Named Me Malala is part documentary, part animation, and part live action, but wholly narrated by Malala and her father Ziauddin Yousafzai. Although the use of animation is questionable, these segments are used as plot points leading up to the day when Malala was shot in the head by the Taliban. If not, Guggenheim would have had to reenact those moments using real actors but at the risk of discounting the authenticity of this documentary. Along with actual news footage and still images, much of the story is a reiteration of her courage, her ordeal, her survival, and her dedication as a right-to-education activist. While this might seem all too familiar to anyone following the news, the documentary doesn't feel scripted or even overladen with praise. And why shouldn't it be? This is about the assassination attempt on a 15-year-old girl whose only crime was speaking out on her basic right to an education.Inspired by her memoir I Am Malala, the film begins in Birmingham, United Kingdom, in 2013, where the Yousafzai family is based post recovery period. Although you don't see a scar, Malala bears a lopsided smile whenever she is asked a question. There is sadness in her eyes along with bashful insecurity but also wisdom and an inner strength much beyond her age. "Three years have passed", she recalls, not of the attempt on her life, but having left her beautiful home in the Swat Valley province of Pakistan. Surrounded by Afghani Mountains, we are shown images of this scenic region (which is always presented as a place of bloodshed and massacre by the media) before Malala begins her story. This is also where the narrative shifts from Malala to her father, beginning with his version of a 'love marriage' to Malala's mother. As a self-taught public speaker, Ziauddin's story is as incredible as his daughter Malala's. While it's clear where the latter gets her courage and insight from, it's the development of a symbiotic father-daughter relationship that makes this a documentary that must be seen.Riveting, and at times overwhelming, He Named Me Malala is a delight to watch, and so is Malala Yousafzai. Guggenheim could have stuffed this film with geopolitical propaganda and ended it with a bleeding cry for justice. When asked if they caught the person who shot his daughter, Ziauddin replies "Not a person, but an ideology". Likewise, Malala has her own quips, and along with her brothers and her father add refreshingly funny moments given the subject matter. At the same time and given her status as a public figure, at no point does Malala seem like a celebrity, nor does she see herself that way. What you do see is a shy teenager but one that is utterly brave and honest with the kind of raw dedication that outflanks millions, possibly billions, of people her age. The fact that Malala was featured on Time magazine twice, followed by her becoming the youngest ever recipient of a Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 proves my last statement. He Named Me Malala is highly inspirational and the type of film where you clap in the end, only to realize that you've clapped too early. Malala is only 18 now, but she has achieved far more than any of us ever will. That itself is worth a standing ovation and I wish her a long life of success in her fight for equality and education with many more accolades to come.