No Good Men

Directed by and starring Shahrbanoo Sadat (Wolf and Sheep, SFF 2017), No Good Men is set in Kabul in the time leading up to the Taliban's return to power in 2021. In this period of great political uncertainty and peril, Naru (Sadat) the sole camerawoman at Kabul's main TV station must deal with a personal crisis. Having left her cheating, abusive husband, she struggles against the odds to gain custody of her young son. Add to that the sexism Naru endures in the workplace and in the course of her duties, it is little wonder she feels strongly that there are "no good men" left in Afghanistan. When she is diverted to a serious news story, rather than the 'female content' usually foisted upon her, she works with Qodrat (Anwar Hashimi), Kabul TV's top journalist. While their initial interactions are guarded, the two soon find in each other something alluring. But the backdrop is anything but romantic as the Taliban encroach, and it seems the window of freedom for journalists, women and civil society is about to be sharply shut. Adeptly playing with rom-com conventions, while conveying the sheer terror of a society on the brink of tumult, Sadat has made a film as daring as it is delightful.