Watch Love Crimes of Kabul

Love Crimes of Kabul is a documentary film directed by Tanaz Eshaghian in 2011. The film follows three young Afghan women who have been imprisoned at Badam Bagh, the women's prison in Kabul. Their crimes? All three of them have had romantic experiences outside of marriage, which is illegal and punishable by imprisonment or worse. The film begins by introducing us to Sabereh, a 19-year-old Afghan girl who has been imprisoned for running away from home with her boyfriend. Her family has disowned her, and in order to gain their forgiveness and be released from prison, she is asked to marry the man who abducted her. Sabereh is desperate to be free, but she is equally terrified of the prospect of being forced into marriage with a man she does not love.

The second woman, Karima, is 23 years old and has been in prison for 12 years. She had a child out of wedlock when she was just 11 years old, and her family threw her out on the streets. Karima has grown up in prison and has never known life on the outside. She struggles with depression and hopes to be released one day so that she can start a new life.

The third woman, Gulnaz, is the most controversial of the three. She was imprisoned after she reported that she had been raped by her cousin's husband. Under Afghan law, having sex outside of marriage is illegal, and Gulnaz was charged with adultery. She not only had to serve a prison sentence for her 'crime', but she also ended up pregnant and was forced to give birth to her daughter inside the prison.

The film takes us deep into the prison and shows us what life is like for these women. They live in cramped, overcrowded cells and have no privacy. They are often subjected to verbal and physical abuse from the guards, who believe that they are nothing more than promiscuous and amoral women. Sabereh, Karima, and Gulnaz all describe the feeling of being trapped, of knowing that they may never be able to leave the prison and start a new life.

The film also explores the broader cultural attitudes towards women in Afghanistan. It shows how women are often treated as second-class citizens, with little power or agency. They are expected to stay at home, raise children, and be obedient to their husbands and male relatives. Women who dare to pursue their own desires or dreams are ostracized, shamed, or worse.

Overall, Love Crimes of Kabul is a powerful and deeply moving film. It shines a light on a side of Afghanistan that is often ignored, and exposes the harsh realities facing many women in the country. The film shows us the strength and resilience of these three women, and the hope that they hold onto, in spite of their circumstances. It is a film that will leave you with a new appreciation for the struggles that women face around the world.

Love Crimes of Kabul is a 2011 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 11 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.8.