Living in the remote, mountainous Daikundi province in central Afghanistan, the Khawari family is part of the Hazara community, one of the most persecuted ethnic groups in the region. The family’s day-to-day life is coloured by tragedy: while enrolled at Kabul University, Zahra, the eldest daughter, killed herself after her thesis was repeatedly rejected by her supervisors. Named after an indigenous plant that survives in the harsh climate of the region, Ilyas Yourish and Shahrokh Bikaran’s searing film is anchored by the family’s resolute quest for justice.
From the beginning, Kamay contextualises Zahra’s death within a bloody history of ethnic violence. Back in the 19th century, more than half of the Hazara population were massacred during the reign of Abdur Rahman Khan. Nearly 200 years later, systematic brutality and discrimination continue, now with the Taliban as perpetrators. As the Khawari family make difficult journeys through rough country to Kabul, the film inhabits this atmosphere of claustrophobia and fear. The camera often gazes at the open road through the windscreen of a cramped car or bus, a recurring composition that embodies the uncertainties and dangers that pave the Khawaris’ path.
Alongside the biases of the justice system, Kamay emphasises the psychological toll endured by the tormented family, an anguish that no judicial documents can assuage. The voice of Freshta, Zahra’s younger sister, rings throughout the film. As she speaks to her departed sibling as if she were still alive, detailing her grief and her trepidation about going to college, Freshta’s contemplations are also directed towards the audience.
Encapsulating the beating heart of the film, Freshta’s unmoored thoughts convey the void left behind by trauma, a permanent wound that will be passed on from one generation to another.
• Kamay is at Bertha DocHouse, London, from 14 March.
• In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
