When it comes to a teal about Afghanistan, like any country that we really know little about except what the media wants to feed you, it is difficult to imagine how life would be if you had lost contact with your friends, found out that they died while you were away and then had to fight a alien system to adopt the child of that friend. The background is war torn Afghanistan. We all make choices; there was a decent way of living in Afghanistan that has been largely destroyed because of internal struggles. The film shows the struggle for change and the choice towards what we consider as terrorist is indeed given a negative light. The hero of the film is far from perfect, he turns his back on his close childhood friend who is beaten for him and that weakness is mirrored by the boy aiming the same sort of weapon at a new enemy, his terrorist captives. The orphanage where the son of the friend had lived during the rebel insurgencies reveals a shocking reality. Tragedy is balanced with the return of the Afghani to the US with the boy and the promise of a new life to begin.

We see a protagonist who grows up in Afghanistan and never learns to defend himself from bullies. He has his friends do that. Even as an adult he was much the same, except he learned to accept the responsibility of bringing a better quality of life to the son of his friend. If there is a weakness in the story it would be in the addition of a scene to inform us of the fall out of the friendship, or something added to a scene where the hero beats his friend because he does not defend himself. Obviously it is the other way around but the scene lacks some credibility. It would have been better had the coward admitted his fault and that would have initiated the rift between the two without the director having to stick in a scene on a theft. In any case the poorer friend was always thankful for the education he got from his cowardly friend who later proves his bravery. One walks away with a sense of relief that at least the son of his friend was saved but one wonders of the fate of the other orphanage boys who were not as lucky.

Large parts of the country are dry, and fresh water supplies are limited. Employment is scarce in Afghanistan, and many people have to beg to survive. Unlike Australia, the government is unstable in Afghanistan, and therefore there is no social security system and no medical assistance. There is no infrastructure, and therefore, no basic needs like running water or electricity.

Land Mines: A Love Story, is a documentary about Habiba and Shah, who both lost their legs due to land mines. It is a very sad and eye opening documentary, looking at the people in Afghanistan going through their every day lives and suffering. It is very graphic, with diagrams of land mines, and video footages of the war. Religion and superstition plays an important role in Afghanistan society. Women have to dress in traditional Muslim clothing, including the head cover, and robes. They stay up all night during Ramadan praying hoping their wishes will be fulfilled.

As a result of lack of hospitals and medical centers in Afghanistan, the people go to the village healer to get medical assistance. For example, Habiba went to a midwife for a pregnancy "check up" instead of a proper doctor. During the filming of this documentary, the filmmaker would have encountered many difficulties. First, there is a language barrier, as Habiba and Shah speaks in the Afghanistan native language. Theres barely any electricity in Afghanistan, therefore it would be hard to film the documentary, using video cameras, lighting and speakers.

This documentary is different from other normal documentaries because it has no narration. This is very effective as the audience get to actually listen to Habiba and Shah, they get the first hand experience. This documentary showed the audience the effects of the war, the victims, and their suffering.

Disability is an important issue in this film. Many people are disabled in Afghanistan as a result of the war. It is very hard for them to work because of their disability, and the Afghanistan government don't do much to help them. Unlike Australia, there are no facilities for the disabled, and any transport or infrastructure to help. Afghanistan is poverty stricken, and the disabled receive very little medical attention. The disabled are also outcasts, and looked down by the society.

Shah and Habiba are both disabled. They both lost their legs to land mines. Habiba still hopes to have her leg back, but Shah has already accepted his disability. They both try to live their lives s normal as possible with their injury, but what happened cannot be erased. They face a lot of difficulties as their both are also uneducated, and have no skills. Shah is a cobbler, but Habiba doesn't have any skills. They already have three children, and Habiba is pregnant again. They are in poverty, and live an uncomfortable life. It is also extremely difficult for them to get a pension from the government. Shah tried to apply a pension for Habiba. It took a long time to process, and in the end, the pension Habiba got was only $1.50, which is not enough.

Work options for women in Afghanistan are minimal, and it is harder for Habiba to work, because she of her disability. The needy receive help from charity organizations such as the Red Cross and the United Nations. They provide some food, loans, but it is still not enough. Women, the disabled and orphans should be given top priority for assistance; women need help because they are not as strong as men, orphans need help as they have no where else to go, and the disabled need assistance because they cannot do it themselves.

Land Mines: A Love Story is an eye opener. I never thought that war victims suffer that much. It is very touching, and sad. Looking at Habiba and Shah suffering just makes our hearts break. Nevertheless this documentary is a masterpiece, and it won many awards. This documentary is certainly worth watching.

• Directors: Michael Winterbottom, Mat Whitecross.
• With: Rizwan Ahmed, far had Harun, Waqar Siddiqui, Arfan Usman, Ruhel Ahmed, Asif Lqbal.

"The Road to Guantanamo" tells the story of four English Muslim youths who travel to Pakistan in 2001 to attend a wedding and end up as prisoners in the US Army camp at Guantanamo, Cuba. This sounds like the perfect storyline for a comedy until you realize that the events portrayed in this film actually did occur and they were far from funny.

"The Road to Guantanamo" is a harrowing look at what happens when one of the world's superpowers ignores the very ideals it's meant to be upholding and it makes you think: If they can get away with this - what's next?

9/10