Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame is a new film by Hana Makhmalbaf, the youngest of a family of Iranian filmmakers. She directed the film, which was written by her mother, when she was 18 or 19. The film is set in the foothills of Afghanistan where the giant statues of Buddha were destroyed by the Taliban. It is about a very young girl’s attempt one day to go to school and all the obstacles she faces in doing so. It can be frustrating at times. For example, she tries to sell some eggs in the market in order to buy a notebook for school. The sequence is inordinately long – perhaps on purpose it takes a little bit longer than what is necessary to make the point. For a large part of the movie, the little girl is hounded by the boys as they play their game emulating the adults, the Taliban. This is no slick production, but considering most of the actors are very young children it is not a bad effort.