History Main / Osama

* ''Literature/{{Osama}}'', a novel by Lavie Tidhar, winner of the 2012 UsefulNotes/WorldFantasyAward.

* ''Literature/{{Osama}}'', a novel by Lavie Tidhar, winner of the 2012 WorldFantasyAward.

[[redirect:Film/{{Osama}}]]

According to TheOtherWiki: ''{{Osama}}'' (Persian: أسامة) is a 2003 film made in Afghanistan by Siddiq Barmak. It is about a young girl in Afghanistan under the Taliban who disguises herself as a boy, Osama, in order to support her family. It was the first film to be shot entirely in Afghanistan since 1996, when the Taliban regime banned the creation of all films. The film was an international co-production between companies in Afghanistan, the Netherlands, Japan, Ireland and Iran.

To put it in troper vernacular, ''{{Osama}}'' is a real TearJerker that shows the effect the taliban rule had on women, and how the UpToEleven DoubleStandard often created impossible situations for them. Circumstances have left "Osama's" family without any male relatives to support them. When the Taliban close the hospital where they work, and enforce draconic restriction against women working or moving about freely, their choices are literally to endanger their daughter and break the law, or starve.

Not to be confused with OsamaBinLaden. Although the use of his name is probably not an accident, the film makes no other reference to him.

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!!This film provides examples of:

* BigBrotherMentor: Espandi gives Osama shit about being effeminate, but uses his popularity with the other boys to support her secret identity, teaches her masculine mannerisms, gives her the authoritative nickname, and [[spoiler:cries for her at the end]].
* CrapsackWorld: Life under the Taliban sucks and there's NO WAY OUT.
* DoubleStandard
* DownerEnding
* FateWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler: [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel Osama's]] [[RapeAsDrama eventual]] [[TearJerker fate]]]]
* GrowingUpSucks
* NoNameGiven: To the max. Out of a fair-sized cast, ''no one'' in the film is named save Espandi.
* OldManMarryingAChild: Several examples are seen in the movie, as it is considered acceptable by the Taliban. The hypocrisy behind the supposedly Islam-approved practice is shown by the fact that the Taliban literally auction the girls off to the highest bidder.
* PassFail
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: The movie pretty much leans way over to the cynicism side of the scale. Though considering the subject matter, it's understandable.
* SweetPollyOliver: With all camp and humor [[PlayedForDrama removed]].
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The film was meant to have a more [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism idealistic ending,]] but the director [[ArtistDisillusionment grew disillusioned with this idea,]] and the film took a ''hard'' turn to the other side of the scale.
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* MoralEventHorizon: Anyone thinking that the Taliban in this film are just {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s will probably change their mind by [[CompleteMonster the end]].

* SweetPollyOliver: With all camp and humor removed.

* MeaningfulName: Actually, [[YourMileageMayVary YMMV]]. Most Westerners have probably only ever heard of one person named "Osama." And while it's certainly significant (cause it's about the Taliban. In AFGHANISTAN.) it's probably not as viscerally impactful to Middle Eastern audiences, where the name is reasonably common.

* OldManMarryingAChild: The movie ends with the main character, a female child, getting married off to a man old enough to be her grandfather or even her grandfathers father. The scene right before the last scene is on the wedding day, focusing on how terrified the girl is and how much the other wives hate their husband. The very last scene is at night, showing the old man happy and content, performing the holy cleansing ritual that he had earlier in the movie taught a class of young boys that every good man is supposed to do after he has screwed his wife.

According to TheOtherWiki: Osama (Persian: أسامة) is a 2003 film made in Afghanistan by Siddiq Barmak. It is about a young girl in Afghanistan under the Taliban who disguises herself as a boy, Osama, in order to support her family. It was the first film to be shot entirely in Afghanistan since 1996, when the Taliban regime banned the creation of all films. The film was an international co-production between companies in Afghanistan, the Netherlands, Japan, Ireland and Iran.

* SweetPollyOliver: With all camp and humor removed.

According to TheOtherWiki: Osama (Persian: أسامة) is a 2003 film made in Afghanistan by Siddiq Barmak. It is about a young girl in Afghanistan under the Taliban who disguises herself as a boy, Osama, in order to support her family. It was the first film to be shot entirely in Afghanistan since 1996, when the Taliban régime banned the creation of all films. The film was an international co-production between companies in Afghanistan, the Netherlands, Japan, Ireland and Iran.

* FateWorseThanDeath: [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel Osama's]] [[RapeAsDrama eventual]] [[TearJerker fate]]

* [[{{Catch22}} Catch-22]]: The trope, not the work. For the women in the film the choices are literally to endanger their daughter and break the law, or starve.