The Journey to Kafiristan (2001)

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

"Die Reise nach Kafiristan" is a German-language film from 2001, so this one had its 15th anniversary last year already. It was written and directed by the Dubini Brothers from Switzerland and it is maybe their most known work. This may have to do with the time when the film is set or the real people references, but also a main reason could be that some people mistake the Barbara Marx credited as a writer here for the very famous recently deceased American show girl of the same name. Anyway, this 100-minute film is about two women traveling through Iran for very different reasons, personal and professional, and they decide to travel together to make things easier for both of them. The film is set during the 1930s and that time and area certainly weren't very suitable for women back then. Then again, is it anymore suitable today? The two protagonists and their endeavors existed in real life too, which makes the film slightly more interesting, not too much though. I honestly think lead actress Hain is/was stunningly beautiful, but never a really gifted actress. As for Petry, I don't think I have seen her in enough roles to make a definite statement. But in here she is equally forgettable as Hain. This is a major problem because the two characters are supposed to have a love affair, but the actresses had very little chemistry with each other. They are also the only known names in terms of the cast. Even gigantic German film buffs like myself will probably not recognize any other names/faces. This is one reason why the supporting characters / side plot also did not add any spice to the film. Oh yeah and if they really love each other as they want us to believe (not really historically proved either), then the ending is also not really making sense. Real love trumps personal goals and missions, also during a time when homosexuality was frowned upon. The filmmakers' attempt near the very end to add important historical context to the film (the radio report) felt rushed and for the sake of it. Not very much about this film is working to be honest, the only aspect I somewhat enjoyed are the beautiful sceneries and cinematography. Obviously far from enough for over 1.5 hours. Watch something else instead.

I thought this film was terrific given the information the writers, directors, and actors had to work with. After seeing the film and feeling disappointed in its lack of content, I had to research Annemarie Schwarzenbach. There isn't much first-hand biographical information. Most of what Annemarie Schwarzenbach wrote about her life in her journals was destroyed by her mother for its "vulgar" content. One can only infer what happened on that trip between these women. The movie, once I found this information, is like reading a broken journal. Pieces are obviously missing. Scenes cut just before something important may happen. Long parts of the trip are edited. I think because of this, Journey to Kafiristan is one of my top five favorite movies of all time.

Usually I love Lesbian movies even when they are not very good. I'm biased, I guess! But this one is just the pits. Yes, the scenery and the buildings are beautiful, and there is a brief but beautiful erotic interlude, but otherwise this movie is just a complete waste of time. Annamarie alternates between sulking and getting high/stoned/passing out on whatever drug or booze is handy, and Ella inexplicably puts up with this abominable behavior through the entire movie. At no time are we given any insight into why this is so, or even why Annamarie is so depressed and withdrawn.If there had at least been some kind of closure in the (potentially romantic? we don't even know!) relationship between the two, there might have been some kind of satisfaction. But although Annamarie at one point asks Ella "why do you love me?" Ella doesn't even acknowledge this. It's never really clear whether this is anything more than an (ill-behaved) Lesbian on a boring road trip with a straight woman.Even the interactions between the two women and the local people they meet on the journey, which could have been lively and informative, are instead flat, tedious and mostly incomprehensible.There is one good joke in the movie, although I'm sure it was unintentional. The women travel in a two-seat Ford coupe with a middling sized trunk. Yet when they set up camp, they have an enormous tent, cots, sleeping gear, and even a table, chair, and typewriter! On top of that, when they board a ferry, we see piles of luggage, presumably theirs, presumably also carried in the little Ford's trunk! And through the entire film, we never see one gas station, or anywhere that looks like it would actually have any place to buy gasoline. Mostly they travel through endless miles of desolate desert. So where did they get fuel?There may not be too many Lesbian films out there, good or bad, but there are plenty that are better than this, and very few that are worse. Leave this one in the rack.

When the movie started and after reading the title, the first thing that I was thinking was: Where could Kafiristan possibly be situated? I really didn't have a clue and I didn't think that it had something to do with the language. I know German and since my own language (Dutch) is very close to it, I was convinced that it wouldn't be a country or a region that we use a completely different name for. But than again, this was only one of the many mysteries about this movie..."Die Reise nach Kafiristan" tells the story of two women who decide to travel together by car to Afghanistan in 1939, but each is in pursuit of their own project. Annemarie Schwarzenbach is an author who wants to find out more about herself and Ella Maillart is a Swiss ethnologist who has traveled the entire world to meet and study new tribes and people. Both women have a completely different nature and there is only one thing that really bonds them: Their eternal restlessness and the urge to leave the world of politics and a possible war behind them. But history keeps catching up and they never really can escape.I'm convinced that many people will not like this movie and if I'm honest, neither did I in the beginning. The reason for that is quite simple. This movie isn't some easy entertainment that offers at least one solution to every question that it asks. No, the makers of the movie have decided to stay very vague by only giving you a hint of what they are trying to say. Dialogs are left uncompleted and sometimes the women don't even speak at all, feelings are never really expressed, but are always present and obvious for the viewer who wants to see them... That's of course not something that you will see in every movie and it sure takes some time to get used to.After a while I really started to like this movie. The landscapes look nice, but they are only there to emphasize the feelings of desolation and complete isolation. In my opinion you have to try to see the beauty of the touching psychological 'landscapes'. It's in their minds that the women go through deep valleys and over high mountain tops as their feelings sometimes clash, but are very parallel at the same time. I know that sounds a bit weird, but that's about the best explanation I can give to it. I guess you just have to watch it for yourself to fully understand what I mean.As a conclusion I would like to say that this is a very nice psychological road movie that will be loved most by an audience who is used to watch 'alternative' cinema. Don't try this movie when you are only used to watch Hollywood blockbusters, because you just will not like it then. Personally I'm quite used to watch this kind of movies and I must say that this is definitely one of the better in the genre. It's too bad that it sometimes was a bit slow, but I still give it a 7.5/10.