Customer Reviews

Journey to Kafiristan

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I sat and pondered what made me buy this movie. I saw it twice for two separate reasons: One for the story, and the other for the cinematic executions. Both were well executed, though the latter is well superior over the other.

Story: Modestly articulated, involving two gifted individuals in the middle of WWII. The irony, as i see it, is that these two souls coming together looking for solace and answer to a life they once knew and at the same time looking for means and passage to a brand new "life" amidst the trial and turmoil of a world at war. That it didn't matter what the world was going through, emphasizes the beauty of so called, "selfishness".

Emotions aside, the movie potrayed Annemarie as distant, lost and lacking articulation. But that is beautifully captured by Jeanette Hain and knowing that Anne herself was a writer; reinforced her character by being more of a thinker than a speaker. They potrayed Ella as a power hungry, fame seeker.

What I fail to understand is the confusing chemistry between the two. I couldn't pinpoint if they were "attracted" to each other, or they were just "testing the waters" to see who "comes out" being a homosexual first. Another thing was what the objective of this movie was in the first place. Then I saw it again, and I realized that was just it. It was a journey to find themselves and that never actually happened because supposedly "Hitler invaded Poland". A little anti-climax but maybe that was just there is to it.

Cinematic execution: Most definitely a prodigy of the usual, cheesy movies (of gay/lesbian themed) - long pauses, scenes with absolute silence, wide camera angles - an art film most definitely. Myriads of beautiful forms, colours and gorgeous landscapes to appease the audience who might feel a little deprived of "action" .

Since it is unfair to just give an overall "impression" to the movie, here are a brief rundown to the ratings:

No star for the lack of "goodies" on the DVD. A complete let-down.

3 stars for the lack of development to both storyline and character appreciation.

4 stars to the lead actresses (especially Jeanette) for outstanding performance that gave the word "tension" a whole different meaning.

5 stars for the execution.

The more I watch this dvd, the more I like it. The more I learn about Ella Maillart and Anne-Marie Schwarzenbach, the more I love it.
I had not heard of these two women before watching the film, but being something of a nerd, I started researching and found the book on which the film is based: Ella Maillart's "The Cruel Way." I found it in the stacks of my local library and it is proving to be a very interesting read. It is also serving to fill in the more ambiguous bits of the story.
The film is subtle but lovely.
The relationships are ambiguous and much is left unsaid.
I recommend reading the book in conjunction with this film, and I definitely recommend seeing this film. There are no fabulous sex scenes, but there is plenty of food for thought.
I do wish there were some extras on the dvd -- for instance, there is a documentary out there, somewhere, about these two women. And a director's commentary would have been appreciated. On the other hand, perhaps she wanted the film to speak for itself, and I can respect that view as well.
Seeing this film has opened a door into the world of these two extraordinary women, and I am very pleased that I took a chance and bought this dvd.

A true story from more than sixty years ago, yet it could have happened yesterday in much the same part of the globe. Slow, melodic, and like a day dream, no one denies the exquisite erotic tension that exists here. Neither can it be denied that this perfume is found in a patriarchal world of imminent violence. In one extraordinary scene after another, where communication cannot be had by the exchange of words, a rapport is obtained between the inhabitants of this world despite the inexorable progress to war.

I don't understand the disappointed reviewers here. A little research at Amazon or IMDb would have revealed this may arguably be termed an "art film", but it certainly isn't lesbian porn, and why in the world would anyone purchase something they knew nothing about when they could easily rent it from Netflix or Blockbuster online? No, it's not in the same league as Aimee & Jaguar, but Jeannette Hain is fun to watch, the settings are gorgeous, and there's also some interesting music (that's what led me to this page - looking for a soundtrack listing). If you like travel stories and aren't left cold by subtlety, give this a try. Oh - the particular tune in question was "Hindou," and you can hear it on The Lecuona Cuban Boys, Vol. 5 (1932-1940) Enjoy.

We went out on a limb buy ordering this movie without anyone we knew ever seeing it. We did the same when we purchased "Amiee & Jaguar". A & J was a wonderful foreign film! This one unfortunately was not. Through the whole movie we were awaiting something...anything of excitement to happen - nothing ever did. The scenery was ok but not fantastic and definitely not cool enough to overshadow the boring script.

We say DON'T BUY with this one. Borrow it from someone else who was brave enough to buy it and save your $20!

This is an unusual travel film: part documentary, part (subtle) love story and part travel adventure. The movie is essentially based on the travel smitten Ella Maillart who has a high passion of seeking far and remote lands. After returning from a long trip to Tibet with the renowned Peter Fleming, she decides to seek the relatively undiscovered, unmapped and unknown region called "Kafiristan" (that means the land of non-believers in Persian) by car. For a reason that isn't very clear she picks an unusual travel partner in AnneMarie, who is recovering in a drug rehab center. AnneMarie is quirky, perpetually depressed and has extreme mood swings. The viewer cannot help wonder why a seasoned traveler like Ella would pick such an uninitiated travel companion (the reasons haven't been made explicit and are shown as subtle messages).

For a travel-centered movie, there is very little countryside and landscape. On most occasions they have shown the Ford winding its way through a dusty road. The viewer gets confused if it Turkey, Iran or Afghanistan. Surprisingly, there is no background movie score or it is unnoticeable.

In one of the scenes Ella and AnneMarie are riding their Ford across the high Afghan desert in their black Ford and they are being escorted by two Afghans riding on Camels. This majestic panoramic scene is the hallmark of a otherwise boring fare. People who like to travel might relate to the pull of traveling on a whim and seeking places seldom visited by people.

I definetly recommend this movie. It is a wonderful film that perfectly combines beautiful music, dialogues and scenarios.
I love it and it is one of my favorite movies about love between women.

Okay, so the movie wasn't that great. Storyline's a little monotonous and slow (supposedly art film.. LOADS of breathtaking images...) as well as confusing.. Lots of scenes were not justified, plenty of metaphors and symbols in their exchange of dialogues with no end or, what we say, conclusion to it... But there definitely was tension..

Put it like this, if i'm homosexual (yea yea.. so?) and i actually fork out cold hard cash to get a woman on woman DVD, i do wanna see some frolicking antics to keep me at the edge of my seat... But Journey To Kafiristan makes you wait forEVER (and i meant that...) for a little something to happen.... but nothing happens... not even the slightest peck on the cheek (so to say, decent..)

One way to describe watching the movie:

Its like faking it. You get high high high, then you let out a really loud sigh, not out of unadulterated pleasure, but out of sheer disappointment coz their "eroticism" and sexual tension just fail to hit off...

It was a good movie nonetheless.. because of three VERY GOOD reasons..

Reason #1
Jeanette Hain

Reason #2
Jeanette Hain

Reason #3
Jeanette Hain

... 'nuff said..

Disclaimer:
The 5 stars are for Jeanette.. Not the movie.. Movie = 2.5 out of 5 ..

After catching the advertisement for this one in the Advocate, I bought this movie as a surprise gift for my fiancee, thinking we would have a gem of a time viewing the cross-dressing butchies Journey to Karfiristan, rich with sublime desert imagery and steamy lesbian action.

No such luck. ...

THIS MOVIE IS A BORE and ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAPPENS!!!

I don't care if this is a divine chronicle of some notable women I have never heard of before or since...The movie seems little more than an exercise in free foreign travel for those who star in it, despite the actors best efforts to make something out of nothing.

With every frame that passes, you will wait... and wait... and wait... for SOMETHING to happen.
You will be amazed and become bewildered at just how very little of nothing ever happens.
And then you will become so very frustrated that you wasted your time waiting... and waiting... and waiting... for SOMETHING to happen, and once you have reached the end of this boring film and are absolutely distraught with disappointment, you will realize that you should have trusted me, and saved yourself the two-hours-plus you spent WAITING during this film.

Spend your time in this life wisely, and skip this trip.

...

F.W.I. - I wanted to give NO STARS for this one, because it SUCKED SO TERRIBLY, but Amazon made me give at least one star to write this review.

:)

In the months leading up to the Second World War, two women travel from Switzerland to Afghanistan to study an elusive nomadic tribe in Kafiristan. Writer Annamarie Schwartzenbach and researcher Ella Maillart embark on a journey that is both physical and emotional as they discover their own hopes and dreams. Unfortunately this film failed to capture my interest and was rather dull. Aside from the stunning cinematography of the Middle East and the (very) sexy Annamarie, JOURNEY TO KAFIRISTAN is a slow story with little insights of the human condition to offer the audience. I hesitate to recommend this film to others.