Tell Spring Not to Come This Year
Directed by Saeed Taji Farouky, Michael J. McEvoy and Michael McEvoy
When NATO troops withdrew from Afghanistan, the Afghan National Army (ANA) took over control of Helmand Province, an extremely dangerous region where attacks by Taliban fighters are the order of the day. Security, much less peace, would seem to be unattainable; it is even difficult to find a common language in a country where everyone mistrusts each other. The directors of this film accompanied an ANA company during a year of frontline duty in Helmand. The soldiers are paid irregularly, there are not enough supplies and their equipment is substandard. They cannot fight a war with the equipment left behind by the ISAF.
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Reviews
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★★★★ review by Ryan on Letterboxd
A harrowing look at the chaos in Afghanistan. This documentary follows a group of soldiers who haven't been paid in nine months, yet somehow must find the courage and discipline to continue to fight the Taliban. This isn't some glorious Hollywood depiction of battle, this is guerrila warfare at its rawest.
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★★★★ review by Taylor Genovese on Letterboxd
This film was enlightening, beautifully shot and unbearably depressing. The unfair and impossible situation that the Afghan National Army is thrust into due to US Imperialism is truly nightmarish and this documentary shows the horrid mission that has been dropped into the lap of overworked, underpaid (it is mentioned at one point that the soldiers were not paid for over 9 months) Afghanis.
The first half of this film is a little slow. The second half includes a well executed combination of edge-of-your-seat action and poetry, both literally and visually. This is an important documentary to see, especially as an American, and I couldn't help but heave a large sigh at the end and sit in silence for awhile.
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★★★½ review by Chris Hormann on Letterboxd
We travel with an Afghan army unit on patrol in the wake of US forces leaving the country while also hearing their thoughts about the political situation in their strife-ridden land. It's simple but effective filmmaking that takes on another dimension as we are brought right into the thick of this ongoing civil war. A window into a terrible situation which goes in, despite the West having left it behind.
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★★★★★ review by ristubasan on Letterboxd
What a remarkable documentary. It's tempting to think it's 'Restrepo' only with Afghan soldiers - but it's so much more than that. There's a very good Ted blog interview with Taji Farouky, who put this together and lived with this unit for a year. I'm not sure I've ever seen a more human documentary of war.
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★★★★★ review by Onurcan Şar on Letterboxd
Tarihsel süreçte Britanya, Rusya ve ABD &NATO askerleri Afganistan’da egemen olmaya çalıştı. Hiçbiri bunu başaramadı. Afganların kendine özgü bir yaşam biçimleri mevcut. Eğer gerçekten amaç demokrasi ise bunu silahla asla yapamazsınız. Onların dilinden konuşmalı ve insani olmalısınız. Dünya üzerinde kendi ülkelerine bağlı çok özel bir halktırlar. Bu belgeselde de 2 Afgan subayın gözünden NATO birlikleri çekildikten sonraki sürece değiniliyor. Belgeselde subayların Amerika’ya bakışı gayet başarılı işleniyor. Fakat ABD’nin Afganistan’da neden var olduğunu bilmelerine rağmen es geçiliyor. Neden milyarlarca dolar harcandığının üzerinde durulmuyor. Yazalım... Afganistan, Hindistan, Irak hatta Türkiye dünya ekonomisinin kalbi gibi. Biraz daha uzatırsak Vietnam’a kadar gidebilir. Buralara hakim olan dünya ticaretine hakim olur. Ticaretten kasıt silah, uyuşturucu, ilaç vb. Kaostan beslenen bir düzen her zaman birilerini zengin eder.
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