Adapted from the autobiography of the same name, Desert Flower (2011), the film portrays how Waris, played by Liya Kebede, flees Somalia and makes it to London to avoid becoming the fourth wife of a Somali, older than her father. After an arduous struggle Waris finds herself a job at a fast food restaurant. She catches the eye of a famous fashion photographer; Terry Donaldson played by Timothy Spall, and succeeds in becoming a top model on global runways. Waris’s leap from a Somalian desert to international fashion catwalks grasps the attention of the media, inspiring everyone around the globe.

 

However, Waris guards a great secret that has tormented her since the age of three. On a typical interview, she refuses to talk about her great discovery as a model and discloses her dark past instead. She, like many young girls born in Africa, is a victim of female genital mutilation, also known as female circumcision. This is a horrific method of verifying that a woman is truly a virgin by mutilating and sowing up the genital organ until the marriage night for the husband to cut open. Waris, speaks at a conference at the United Nations (UN) informing the world about the inhumane practices that haunts Africa.

 

The movie mainly employs flashback methods to illustrate the dramatic change of life Waris has gone through—constantly contrasting the sceneries of a desert and the city of London. The method was effective in allowing the audience to sympathize and truly comprehend the magnitude of Warris’s accomplishments.

 

Vivid colors and bold costumes shown in the movie embellish the scenes beautifully. Colors such as yellow, red, and pink are frequently used throughout the movie. The director also took great pains to depict not only the runway styles but also Somalian costumes in great detail. The change of clothing from fully covered Muslim dress to a more revealing mini skirts and pants serve as an indicator of Waris's change throughout the movie.

 

As the movie deals with a heavy and sensitive topic, the director tries to lighten up the movie by using humor here and there and adding some romance. Waris’s silly roommate Marylin, played by Sally Hawkins, serves that very purpose. Nevertheless, the humor is rather off and distracts the audience from properly immersing into the movie.

 

 

Also, the role of Harold Jackson, played by Anthony Mackie, whom Waris is attracted to, is the suspect. The director attempts to demonstrate a moment of awakening as a woman for Waris but never fully develops that theme in the movie. In trying to compress humor, gender equality, human rights, immigration issues and romance all together within time limitations, the movie makes a fatal error of failing to explore any of the themes completely. The characters should have been further developed or deleted to preserve the solidarity of the movie.

 

Considering the extremely low budget used to create this film, however, the Desert Flower (2011) more than fulfills the purpose of the movie—raising awareness about female genital mutilation and discrimination against women in Africa. Also, casting Liya Kebede, an actual supermodel of Ethiopian origin, adds to the authenticity of the movie. There could not have been a better actress to play Waris other than Kebede with her accent and actual model walking skills.

 

Overall, the movie itself is a pleasant ride despite its shortcomings and comparatively long 127 minutes running time. The true story of Waris Dirie on a noble mission to change lives and the perception of millions of women around the world resonate long after the ending credits.

 

The world we live in is not a rosy place full of delightful events and people. Humankind has to tackle diseases, wars, and disasters that present themselves in many forms. Some disasters are unavoidable beyond the control of humans but some are purely man-made. Practices rooted in customs tailored to oppress a particular group of people—foot-binding, slavery, and female circumcision are something that we do have control over. It is often said that the first step in solving a problem is acknowledging that there is one. Waris Dirie’s Desert Flower

Film Information Title: Desert Flower Running Time: 127 minutes Director: Sherry Hormann Release Date: March 2011