Berlin Film Festival’s Afghan Rom-Com Masks Deeper Realities of Patriarchy and Western Narratives

As the world watches the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan, the 76th Berlin Film Festival opens with an Afghan rom-com titled “No Good Men”—a film that claims to break new ground with its depiction of the first on-screen kiss in Afghan cinema. But beneath this veneer of cinematic progress lies a troubling narrative shaped by external pressures and simplified portrayals.When Political Correctness Overrides AuthenticityDirector Shahrbanoo Sadat’s struggle to cast actors willing to perform a kissing scene reveals more than just artistic challenges—it exposes cultural tensions exploited by both local patriarchy and European funders’ expectations. Rather than confronting Afghanistan’s harsh realities head-on,...