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Bollywood meets Soviet-controlled Afghanistan in writer-director Shahrbanoo Sadat’s “The Orphanage.” Based on the unpublished diaries of actor Anwar Hashimi who plays the only significant adult role, the title institution’s supervisor it’s a modest coming-of-age period piece that incidentally diverges into over-the-top dreamscapes.
The year is 1989, just before the mujahedin guerrillas took control of the country. Apprehended for scalping movie theater tickets, Kabul teenager Qodrat (Quodratollah Qadiri) is placed in a government-run boys home where learning Russian is a priority. Sadat cast Afghan nonactors to paint a scatterbrained picture of parentless adolescence, and outstanding production design immerses us in this historical remembrance.
Review: The Orphanage, an imperfect yet charming blend of Bollywood and Soviet Afghanistan msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.