He Named Me Malala

I'll have to admit right off the bat that I watched this doc on teen Malala Yousafzai fighting sleep half the time though I managed to keep eyes open most of that period when it showed many of the school buildings that had been blown up after she attended them, courtesy of the Taliban. I did like the scenes of her family as they were now functioning normally in England. It was nice to see her doing well under the public glare after she survived being shot in the head, writing her book, and meeting public figures like Queen Elizabeth and President Obama. I, myself, remember her appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert earlier this year as being quite amusing. Nice use of animation when telling tales of her earlier life or of the woman she was named after. So on that note, He Named Me Malala is worth seeing.

"He Named Me Malala" (2015 release; 88 min.) is a documentary about Malala Yousafzai, the remarkable young lady from Pakistan, whom the Taliban tried to assassinate because she stood up for the right to an education for young girls. As the movie opens, we are told (via animation) where the name Malala comes from (an Afghani folk hero who encouraged/inspired the Afghan army in their battle against the UK). We then immediately switch to the footage of Malala's wounded body being treated after the Taliban's assassination attempt in October 2012--yes, almost 3 years ago to the date). The documentary then switches to "Birmingham, England, 2013", where we see Malala with her two brothers and her parents. To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the latest documentary from director David Guggenheim, best known for previous efforts such as Waiting for Superman, and It Might Get Loud. Here he tackles a difficult task, namely how to make an enticing documentary about a remarkable person, without coming across as simply wanting to 'glorify' that person. The answer, as it turns out, is quite simple: show us that person (in this case Malala) in their natural environment, and let us observe the REAL person. And then Guggenheim has another ace up his sleeve: he lets us catch glimpses (and more) of how the Taliban slowly but surely changes the Swat Valley in Pakistan, where Malala and her family lived. I must say, I was quite shocked at what I saw: the Taliban's brutality and determination knows no boundaries. As Malala (or was it her dad) observes at one point: "For the Taliban, it is not about faith, it is about power". Speaking of Malala's dad, it turns out he is quite remarkable well. I wondered why the movie wasn't simply called "I Am Malala" (her autobiography, from which the movie of course borrows), but now that I've seen it, it makes perfect sense, as this is a documentary not just about Malala but also very much about her dad. There is various remarkable archive footage in the documentary about the Taliban, her dad, and of course Malala herself. I must admit that I was worried how the makers of this documentary were going to fill an hour and a half in a way that would keep my attention. I shouldn't have worried. This is a moving documentary that, frankly, left me even more in awe of Malala than I already was. And to think this young lady is still only 18 years old as we speak! I am humbled and also a little inspired after seeing this.

"He Named Me Malala" opened yesterday (yes, Thursday is the new Friday), and the screening where I saw this at here in Cincinnati was attended okay but not great. That is a darn shame. I, for one, happen to think that "He Named me Malala" should be required viewing for all kids in the US grades 6 and up, and certainly I hope that many adults will see this too. "He Named Me Malala" is an inspired, and inspiring, documentary and is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Greetings again from the darkness. One would be hard-pressed to name anyone currently on the planet who is more deserving of having her story told than Malala Yousafzai. In case you don't recognize the name, Malala is the teenage girl who was shot in the head by the Taliban for speaking out in favor of education for Pakistani girls.

Unlike her namesake in the legendary story told to open the film, this Malala somehow survived the gunshot and has continued her mission of spreading the importance of education throughout the globe. Her efforts resulted in her being named the Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2014. This girl is extraordinary and inspiring.

Davis Guggenheim has proved his expertise in the documentary world with excellent work in Waiting for Superman (2010) and his Oscar winner An Inconvenient Truth (2006). Though Malala may be his most fascinating subject to date, this is probably not his best filmmaking. The extensive use of animation distracts from Malala's story, and also Guggenheim's attempts to show the teenage girl that exists alongside the global activist are often disjointed. We enjoy seeing her warm and sincere interactions with her brothers and her embarrassment at low grades on school work, but each time one of these sequences begins, the film abruptly shifts to another incident – possibly as a reminder to us that her life is anything but normal.

Some of the film's highlights include Malala's speech to the United Nations assembly, the crime scene photographs of the bus on which she and her friends were shot, and those moments when she lets her emotions roam free … she mutters "It's so hard to get things done in this world". We feel her pain and find ourselves wanting to stand with Malala.

Much of what we see is from her promotional tour to support her book "I am Malala", and it's her words and commitment to the cause that leave such an impression. Guggenheim hints that her father may have pushed her into this life, but this wise-beyond-her-years young woman has more than earned our respect and admiration. She convinces us that the best way to "arm" young people around the world is with books and a pen … the most powerful weapons. Her courage and commitment cause us to question our actions as 17 year olds. What a truly extraordinary person she is.

While a documentary can have the distance approach, it would have been difficult to sell this one. This is all about feeling, all about emotion and all about emancipation. It is also about freedom and unity. About misunderstandings and clarifications. There is so much going on, that it's amazing it's not a longer movie/running time.

It works on almost all these levels, people are familiar with the person (be it because of her TV appearances or her nominations). But it's still something different to see her personally or learn about her family and her father. You have to be a strong person to survive the things she has to face, but she still remains "human" (if that is a thing to say). A strong message is delivered and a powerful movie made ...

After seeing this I want to change my name to Malala.

Malala is a noteworthy individual who deserves to be documented. Like she says in the movie, her story is every girls story, and it deserves to me told.

This doc tells a story of a 17 year old girl and how she interacts with her family, how she goes to school, her attraction to boys, and her not so average status as a world wide celebrity just for speaking out for a woman's right to education.

It's a problem a huge chunk of the world faces and some of us can't fully wrap our head around. The concept that you could get shot in the face for speaking your mind about the basic needs of all humans. He Name Me Malala follows this brave young girl around the globe as she campaigns for children like herself to be educated.

My favorite part of the movie, He Named Me Malala is the guy who named her Malala. They portrayed a truly great man (behind the woman), who saw his child (not a boy or a girl) and encouraged her to speak her mind, and they displayed it like it was not a big deal, just a father doing the best thing for his children.

To me it was what all of us have in common with Malala that makes this documentary special, and in return makes everything that she has done inspirational.

Go see it and get inspired.