Desert Flower (2009) [Blu-ray]
Biography | Drama

Tagline: The extraordinary true story of the woman who crossed a desert and changed the world.

Her story touched the hearts of millions: Waris Dirie's book Desert Flower, which recounts her incredible journey from an African nomad to an international top model, became a worldwide bestseller with more than 11 million copies sold. This is the inspiring story of an extraordinary, proud and brave woman. Director and screenwriter Sherry Hormann (Father's Day) and producer and Oscar winner Peter Herrmann (Nowhere In Africa) have adapted Dirie's autobiography for the screen, a modern fairly tale of dazzling glamour and archaic rituals, full of vitality, emotional depth and enormous compassion.

Top model and actress Liya Kebede shines in the main role alongside an ensemble of brilliant actors including Silver Bear and Golden Globe winner Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky), Timothy Spall (Harry Potter, Secrets And Lies), Craig Parkinson (Control). Juliet Stevenson (Bend It Like Beckham), Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker, 8 Miles) and Meera Syal (Scoop). Desert Flower is produced by Peter Hermann with Benjamin Hermann and Danny Krausz serving as co-producers. The cinematographer is Ken Kelsch, and the editor is Clara Fabry.

Storyline: The autobiography of a Somalian nomad circumcised at 3, sold in marriage at 13, fled from Africa a while later to become finally an American supermodel and is now at the age of 38, the UN spokeswoman against female genital mutilation (FGM). Written by Athina-90

User Comment: *** This review may contain spoilers *** TheDiceAreLoaded from Germany, 10 June 2009 • Desert Flower is a weird movie. It is based on the life story of Waris Dirie, a super-model up there with Naomi Campel and Cate Moss. The movie focuses on the time from just before her discovery until her big success, with constant flashbacks of her childhood in Somalia and her way to London. Liya Kebede plays a wonderful Waris Dirie, very lovely and full of surprise and fear of the daily life we all take for granted, while at the same time showing great bravery and a strong will to fight for a better life. The rest of the cast is medium at best, a positive exception only the character of Terence Donovan, the photographer. The director did not resist the temptation to give Waris a sort of "funny sidekick-friend" as well as the stereotypical I-Jumped-Out-Of-"The Devil Wears Prada"-Movie - manager, to add some slapstick-touch, which was totally unnecessary. The movie does not leave anyone untouched though, it has some heartwarming and touching as well as some very cruel and disturbing passages. It is funny and sweet when Waris is struggling with the British everyday life, making friends, and so on. It is hard to bear when you are faced with drastic pictures of a 3 year old girl being circumcised, with a 19-year old woman suffering still from this cruel and brutal violation, and with the fact that a whole tradition tries to justify this. And that is the main weak point of the movie. The changes from the funny, light and sweet scenes to the brutal and cruel ones come without warning. The editor or director does not give you the time to set your mind to that kind of situation, and after a hefty scene they just switch back to the light comedy-part as if nothing happens. While I understand the intention, for me as a viewer I could not enjoy the funny parts - which were never the less intended to entertain the audience. I recommend this movie if you can handle the topic, but do not look for a entertaining biopic with some depth. It has entertainment, it has depth, but it tries to deliver both but never brings it home all the way in the one or the other topic.

Summary: drama and fairytale, but not an easy movie.

User Comment: *** This review may contain spoilers *** Dr Jacques COULARDEAU from Olliergues, France, 21 March 2010 • An emotional trip of a woman from the desert of Somalia to the United Nations. I will not follow that road which is detailed and marked by exploitation, scarification, mutilation, alienation, rejection, and all other words in that line rhyming with immigration. The film is dealing with one day in the life of an Africa woman that changed that very life into an ordeal. It is called excision and it is performed at the age of three. Beside the direct death rate, and even the indirect death rate (later when pregnant and wanting to deliver the baby) those who survived are made psychologically inferior and dependent. They are not able to control their lives and to develop the energies that would transform the whole African continent. A tradition coming from Black Africa that was later integrated by Islam when it arrived, though Islam was careful not to spread the practice in the population that did not have that tradition, particularly the Arabs. It is nothing but the survival of an enslaving sexual practice that has to disappear from this earth as fast as possible. Yet we are far from it. Excision, and I will say like all other sexual mutilation, is a crime against humanity, including in the US where 95 per cent of males are circumcised. They have even invented a word for natural: uncircumcised and uncut, which is the barbaric bigotry of some turned into lexical tyranny.

Summary: A universal crime against humanity.

[CSW] -3.7- A true store that is both great and truly gripping! The courage of a young girl to cross the barren, rocky desert in order to escape a marriage to old man is incredible! Then leaving to England without knowing anyone there is another extraordinary journey. Waris' unlikely friendship with the struggling dancer was quirky, funny, and endearing! The unveiling of her genitals early in the film really sets the stage for all of her emotional and physical suffering due to her genital mutilation. Constant flashbacks and her celebrity as the new sensation worldwide model soon open the door for the publicity of her torturous past in Somalia, and Waris becomes a defender of female rights as she testifies at the UN about genital mutation practices as she herself experienced! A truly inspiring story Liya Kebede gave a remarkable performance for her first time leading role!!! Cheers to the rest of the cast too!.
[V4.5-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box.

º º