I didn't really know what to expect when I went to see this movie. The title Riverboom is already quite mysterious (although there is finally an explanation), and one also wonders how they can release a documentary in 2024 that was filmed in 2002, especially in Afghanistan, where everything has once again changed since then.
It turned out to be totally surprising and delightful. The fact that the video cassettes were lost for 20 years certainly made this a totally different movie than it would have been if it had been made quickly. The filmmaker was able to look upon the events with quirky detachment instead of finding everything dramatic and scary, which would have been the main impression immediately after the events. These guys almost got into serious trouble many times during their circle trip of the country.
The inclusion of still photography, especially Afghan portraits, along with the video increased the impact as one tries to image what has become of these local people in the last 20 years. Some of them probably live in my neighbourhood, which is now called Little Kabul in Paris.
