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Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press: Despite an absence of subtlety, the film has a very real impact. Read more
Mark Caro, Chicago Tribune: Derives most of its power from providing a clear window on a previously obscured world. Read more
John Hartl, Seattle Times: A melancholy movie, but a necessary one. Read more
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper: Wonderful film, and what a remarkable achievement. Read more
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: Works simply as the story of one unlucky young girl. Read more
Manohla Dargis, Los Angeles Times: Raw and wretchedly current, it is a story that packs a cruel emotional wallop. Read more
Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle: A harrowing look at a disturbingly recent time that seems more rooted in a barbaric, distant past. Read more
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: Barmak and his little star bring artistry and truth to the plight of women under the Taliban. Read more
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: A rare uncensored postcard from a ruined place, a document at once depressing and hideously beautiful that sketches the real hardships of trampled people -- specifically women -- with authority and compelling simplicity. Read more
Jane Sumner, Dallas Morning News: A poignant film with stinging images. Read more
Scott Foundas, L.A. Weekly: Offers us what feels like a true insider's view, free from condescension and the temptation to view the country's persecuted citizens as merely pitiable 'others.' Read more
Marta Barber, Miami Herald: Will touch everyone with its haunting sounds and images. Read more
Peter Rainer, New York Magazine/Vulture: The first film shot entirely in Afghanistan since the rise and fall of the Taliban, and it's a heartbreaking look back at life under that regime. Read more
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: It's an important film, made under impossibly arduous circumstances. Yet it's far easier to respect than to embrace. Read more
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer: I found Mr. Barmak's direction too by-the-numbers, and Ms. Goldbahari's Osama a one-note performance in her relentlessly whimpering (though perfectly understandable) self-pity. Read more
A.O. Scott, New York Times: Siddiq Barmak's film is the first feature made in Afghanistan since before the rise of the Taliban an impressive achievement made more so by the director's sure and subtle artistry. Read more
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel: We've heard so much about the cruelty of the Taliban that we think we've heard it all. But there's something about seeing one small human story played out that is still overwhelming. Read more
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Imagine if we could see films from previous centuries -- records of slavery, the Great Fire of London, the Black Plague. Osama is like a film from some long-ago age. Read more
Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle: The horrors of Osama are pervasive, not acute, so they take longer to sink in. But once in, they stay there. Read more
David Edelstein, Slate: What you see isn't surprising, but living through it -- experiencing the cruel and arbitrary justice of the Taliban through a 12-year-old's eyes -- puts a knot in your stomach that lasts beyond the film's closing credits. Read more
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Shot on the ruined streets of Kabul, it has the urgent impact of a documentary, but it is a work of poetic vision. Read more
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: The film, a simple tale of a girl who disguises herself as a boy, begins with a Nelson Mandela quote: 'I can't forget but I can forgive,' is designed to ensure the audience won't forget either. Read more
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: Without piling on unnecessary pathos, and with a devotion to simply telling the truth of a situation, Osama works a rough kind of magic. Read more
Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine: Truth shines through every frame, thanks to Barmak's storytelling skill and his young star's unaffected radiance. Read more
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice: Preaches to a very large choir, but does it with sober righteousness. Read more