Jirga

A remarkable truthfulness shepherds Benjamin Gilmour's tightly written and conscientiously produced drama "Jirga" as it renders an image of Afghanistan not as a ravaged battleground but as an arrestingly rich land.

This movie is undeniably a remarkable achievement. You wish it had just a little more dramatic heft.

The strain of making it sometimes shows, but [Jirga] is a quite remarkable piece of work all the same.

Unfortunately cryptic but nonetheless fascinating...

The Afghan landscape is imposingly photographed, as are the faces of the Afghan people, but as a coherent narrative, the film is lacking.

It's a fine film, even without the backstory. Gilmour shows a real empathy with the Afghani non-actors. Their character and traditions are part of the subject, and both are surprising.

Despite interesting shots of Afghanistan, Jirga is a hopeless, moralistic tale...

This cinema verité drama, shot guerrilla-style in Afghanistan by director Benjamin Gilmour and star Smith, with a supporting cast of Afghans recruited on location, is a bit of a marvel.

Its overall message ... is important, although the steps it takes to get there are sometimes questionable -- especially during one lengthy passage.

Expressed through raw performances ... the film's philosophical underpinnings ultimately strike a chord.