Kandahar

Makhmalbaf's astounding and haunting imagery tells a story of devastation, desperation and poverty.

This remarkably revealing and timely film, in which the depiction of pain and sorrow is suffused with a sense of beauty and a graceful, flowing style, more than lives up to glowing advance notices.

Kandahar found itself in real-life controversy last December, when one of its actors was accused of murder.

A visually exalting, emotionally horrifying view of Afghanistan under the Taliban regime.

While it's often harsh in style and melancholy in subject, Kandahar taps into veins of humor and compassion as well.

Among the unforgettable images is that of artificial limbs floating to earth on parachutes, while below, one-legged men on crutches race each other to the prizes.

Kandahar feels like a Magritte painting rendered in sand tones, and your eyes are drawn to the screen. There aren't enough of these moments, though, and Mr. Makhmalbaf lessens their power by repeating them.