Watched this film purely by accident on King Faiasel Specialist Hospital (closed circuit) television, while working in Saudi Arabia as an expat. As a lifelong, card-carrying romantic, I was reduced to mouth-agape awe by the extreme sensitivity of this film in portraying love against a backdrop of insensate fate. Regardless of what you think (or thought) of David Lean's portrayal of Pasternak's epic ZHIVAGO (for me it was one of the best of its genre), 'JAMILA' will fill you with a crushing, melancholic appreciation of the exquisitely fragile nature of human experience, as one human heart cleaves to another in the essential chaos of life. This is a film I would truly want to have on my film library shelf, were I to have few others.
4 Reviews
most lovely movie i ever seen.
fareastfan20 December 2001
this movie, has a lot of thing..love, love pain, Sin, Humanity facts, and the sorrowful smell of the rude war..Jamila, is so much innocence who is only looking for her happiness despite she is in hell like place.Seit's one-way, hopeless but satisfied love to jamila, and daniyar's magicy existence.a woman is in sin because she is married, but also she is clean like an angel...This movie takes the watcher away of the East's spice filled dream and real transparent curtain.Cute and lovely movie..Specially Jamila (linh dan) acts perfectly (IMHO)..A heart-touching product.
Where's the iceberg, Mr. Anderson?
Weredegu1 February 2007
Well, they left a note for the unknowing viewer right at the beginning of the film that this is the greatest love story of all times. Oh yes, they quoted Louis Aragon commenting on the original Chinghiz Aitmatov novel. So much modesty, really. I thought that was a bit like Neo in 'The Matrix' gesturing to the agents 'c'mon'. I have seen a lot of beautiful films about love, from Mohsen Makhmalbaf's 'Gabbeh' to Takeshi Kitano's 'Dolls', so, having been 'programmed' by good directors, I probably pass for an agent in this comparison. Unfortunately, I have to report to you that this film was no Neo, rather just a scared, confused and powerless Mr. Anderson. No way to do an adaptation really. A lot of totally superficial narration when the images should communicate everything (and they do, because the cinematography is done well, most of the time). No good dialogues to fill the time when the narrator shuts up. And Jamila's great love interest, who I suppose could be quite a complex character in the book, is portrayed way too weakly here for you not think of him as a rather simple one. To me he seemed like some '80s pop star who suddenly found himself in 1944 Kyrgyzstan through a time storm or what. First he was looking like 'whatthehell', then seconds later 'oops
this Jamila is beautiful, it's not so bad that time storm came my way'.
In fact, this greatest love story, for as much as they show to you about it, looks fairly trivial. You could describe Jamila's and her partner's motivations in very simple terms. That's not bad at all in itself but the film-makers are trying hard to make the audience think they are watching something a lot more complicated. If I would know only about 'Titanic' and this film, 'Titanic' would still be the biggest love story to me. Although for a second try I may watch 'Jamila' as a silent film, perhaps it will work better then.
In fact, this greatest love story, for as much as they show to you about it, looks fairly trivial. You could describe Jamila's and her partner's motivations in very simple terms. That's not bad at all in itself but the film-makers are trying hard to make the audience think they are watching something a lot more complicated. If I would know only about 'Titanic' and this film, 'Titanic' would still be the biggest love story to me. Although for a second try I may watch 'Jamila' as a silent film, perhaps it will work better then.
Teaches u what TRUE love is..
dearsoum26 December 2005
A poignant, touching and sensitive love story set amidst war. Young Seit is in love with his friend Jamila who's forcibly married off to Seit's elder brother.Jamila doesn't realize Seit's love for him but considers him a close friend.Her absent and abusive husband suddenly disappears on the war-front barely a week after marriage.
Then comes a Russian soldier to the village-Daniyar who steals the heart of young Jamila and loses his in return. But it is wrong to judge Jamila for this as there has been enough injustice and pain in her life already and she is just a young girl after all.
Seit sees all this and is deeply pained for he must have been hopeful about getting together with her but says nothing and rather stands watch guard to the two's stealthy meetings so that the villagers don't discover them.Imagine his heart-wrenching sacrifice and pain then.
Seit personifies the deepest meaning of true love..to be happy just by seeing your loved one happy...even if you have to pay for it with your tears..
Then comes a Russian soldier to the village-Daniyar who steals the heart of young Jamila and loses his in return. But it is wrong to judge Jamila for this as there has been enough injustice and pain in her life already and she is just a young girl after all.
Seit sees all this and is deeply pained for he must have been hopeful about getting together with her but says nothing and rather stands watch guard to the two's stealthy meetings so that the villagers don't discover them.Imagine his heart-wrenching sacrifice and pain then.
Seit personifies the deepest meaning of true love..to be happy just by seeing your loved one happy...even if you have to pay for it with your tears..
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