In Theaters:
Afghan Star
It would have been easy for U.K. journalist and TV producer Havana Marking to turn her feature documentary debut Afghan Star into a weepy, patronizing view of a Third World nation’s people rising above their travails by means of song. But Marking’s surprisingly astringent film resists such temptations even while following four heartbreakingly brave finalists in the hugely popular “American Idol”-like talent show the film takes its name from, a melodramatic arc if there ever was one…
Afghan Star is playing now in limited release and should be making its way onto DVD in a few months. The full review was published in The Hollywood Reporter.
Chris Barsanti 