For women in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime, the whole society was just one big prison. Sedigh Barmak tells the story of despair in a dark period. The Afghan women daydream to survive the Taliban but often find their dreams turning into nightmares because of a cruel reality. A 12-year-old girlliving with her mother and grandmother has to disguise herself as a boy to work, since women from a family without a male member are not allowed to work outside the home. When her true identity is revealed, she is forced to face tragedy. "Despair", the theme of the film, stands out with the image of the girl and her family clinging to dreams that cannot come true: dreams of the story that a girl can become a boy by walking under a rainbow or watering her hair in a vase. But it is hope, not despair, that Osama finds at last. Sedigh Barmak′s challenge to make Afghan cinema come alive is just like the rainbow that Afghanistan prays for. Director and crew made this film possible (of course with the enormous help of Mohsen Makhmalbaf) despite an extremely small budget and poor production conditions. All the staff, including the talented Marina Golbahari who plays the girl, found hope in just completing Osama, which makes this film more meaningful than any ordinary film. (Kim Ji-seok)