Directors: Daniel Junge, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Runtime: 52 minutes
Rating: 14A
In 2012, Saving Face was awarded the Oscar for Best Documentary Short, and with due reason. This brave account by documentary filmmakers Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is proof that film need not be elaborate to make a statement. Full of first-hand footage, the documentary delves deep into a problem that deeply affects Pakistan.
Saving Face follows the lives of women in Pakistan who have had their entire worlds crumble after being attacked with acid by husbands and relatives. The documentary chronicles the lives of these women while trying to make sense of the practice, as well as showing Pakistan’s recent efforts to control the situation. At the same time, the work of Pakistani doctor Mohammad Jawad, a plastic surgeon practicing in London, is also followed. Through a charitable organization, he is putting his talent into practice in order to help these women recover their faces, and with that, their lives.
The short subject documentary is quite simple visually. No unnecessary editing is present, just plain and simple interviews with victims, politicians, and other people who are related to the situation in any way. All the information is delivered in a straightforward manner, and the lack of narration, as well as the minimalistic approach, really matches the somber sense of awe and respect that the documentary inspires in the spectator. With all the first hand accounts by women such as Zakia and Rukhsana, there is really no need for elaborate transitions or score.With footage compiled over an extensive period of time, the spectator is truly privileged to be able to get a complete story out of the tragic events, and there is a sense of completion left by the end. Although the matter has, of course, not been resolved in actuality, the fact that one can follow one of these successful stories of reconstruction provides a good sense not only of the conflict, but on the victim’s resilience as well.
The premise of this short documentary is undoubtedly jarring. The events depicted in the piece are in no way easy to understand or witness, but in no way is this a documentary that leaves the spectator with a sense of hopelessness. The fight these women are fighting, and the strength people like Dr. Jawad provide to these women, is something that should be witnessed by many. Thus, one should not be put off by the unappealing subject matter. A work just as noble as it is shocking, Saving Face is a simple piece of film with great weight and importance.
