Malala Yousafzai was shot by the Taleban in 2012.
Any film about Malala Yousafzai, the courageous Pakistani girl shot by the Taleban in 2012, would be inspiring. But, if Davis Guggenheim's documentary is anything to go by, it is possible to make one that fawns unnecessarily over its subject.
He Named Me Malala is inspired by Malala's autobiography I
am Malala, and tells the story of her childhood in the Swat Valley, becoming an anonymous teenage blogger for the BBC and an activist fighting for woman's education, and her British-based life after her miraculous recovery from an assassination attempt.
The film begins with a painterly and poetic animation, telling the story of legendary Afghanistani heroine Malala, who united outnumbered Pashtun fighters in a battle against British invaders during the late 19th century. While Malala resists comparisons with this heroic tale, it's hard to ignore Guggenheim's intention to turn her into a 21st century legend.
Unable to return home, with or without a film crew, these animations continue to be used to accompany Malala's vocal recollections of life as a child, and her love of school and learning, before and after the Taleban became more prominent in the Swat Valley.
The effect is that of a calm dark fable, but, though these lengthy animations are beautifully rendered, nothing beats the teenager in person.
