AllMovie

Two boys struggle to hold on to their dreams despite difficult circumstances in this drama from director and co-screenwriter Sam French. Rafi (Fawad Mohammadi) and Ahmad (Jawanmard Paiz) are best friends growing up in Kabul and striving to make something of themselves in a nation that's been devastated by war. Ahmad is an orphan who supports himself peddling whatever he can on the streets, while Rafi is the son of a blacksmith who is already feeling the pressure to follow in his father's footsteps. Both boys love the sport of buzkashi, an Afghan variant on soccer played with the body of a goat instead of a ball, and their ambitions to someday take the field and become heroes of the game help support them amidst the chaos and violence that has become a fact of life in Afghanistan. Buzkashi Boys was produced by a coalition of international film professionals to help educate and encourage young moviemakers in Afghanistan; the film went on to receive a 2013 Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Subject.