Supermodel Biopic Highlights Human Rights

By Lee Hyo-won

Staff Reporter

A young Somalian nomad crosses the desert to escape an arranged marriage, only to find herself homeless in London, before being discovered by a world-class photographer and turn into a supermodel.

The modern-day Cinderella story, however, does not end there; she becomes the first woman to publicly reveal that she was circumcised, and is named the UN’s special ambassador for the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

Model-turned-human rights activist Waris Dirie penned her story in her internationally best-selling autobiography, “Desert Flower,” and now it blooms onscreen through a feature-length movie by Sherry Horman.

The movie provides a shocking revelation about FGM, but it is no vehement one-sided condemnation of a “savage” practice. Told in a sparingly poetic language, “Desert Flower” follows a sentimental, rather than chronological, timeline to tell a tale of breathtaking courage and beauty.

The title stems from the protagonist’s name meaning, desert flower. The film opens with a budding, 13-year-old Waris herding goats in a barren landscape. Like a flower growing toward the heavens she refuses to be snipped off, and chooses her own path ― when her father tries to sell her off to be married to an elderly man, she runs away.

Once she miraculously arrives at her grandmother’s doorsteps, however, she is shipped off to work for rich relatives at the Somalian embassy in London. There, she wilts away as she spends the rest of her adolescence in illiteracy.

When civil war breaks out in her homeland, however, and the embassy is closed, Waris chooses to stay behind. The grown Waris is played by the stunning Ethiopian supermodel Liya Kebede. In addition to certain angles of her face that bear striking resemblance to the actual figure, Kebede’s soulful eyes and natural grace invite viewers to feel every cell of the deeply personal story.

After years of isolation in the embassy, Waris is new to everything around town. But she is no vulnerable shrinking violet. Her good heart and fortune eventually win the sympathy ― and flat space ― of Marylin (Sally Hawkins), an aspiring ballerina. Marylin helps Waris find employment at McDonald’s and initiates her into youth culture.

Meanwhile, Waris’ beauty captivates an internationally renowned fashion photographer (Timothy Spall), and she is catapulted into the world of high fashion. She graces the cover of the 1987 Pirelli calendar, which lines up the constellation of her star-studded career.

Her success, however, seems futile as unresolved issues continue to haunt her.

Her illegal immigrant status is her Achilles’ heel, but this too, is but the passing shadow of a cloud. Waris had been circumcised at age three. The condition is naturally a hindrance in the pursuit of romance, but more importantly, the improperly executed operation has left behind an unhealed wound, both physically and spiritually.

“Desert Flower” is ultimately about a woman’s search for identity and culture, and what it means to have free will. Yet it is not a confused, vengeful scramble for what had been lost, but rather, a peace-making effort to find meaning in what there remains and has potential to grow.

A point of interest is that the story features 1990s fashion and details rather than those of the ‘80s as it should; the anachronism reinforces the fact that FGM is a very real, current issue. Efforts to abolish the practice resulted in its official ban in many countries, but according to the film some 6,000 girls continue to be mutilated everyday in parts of Africa, Asia and Europe.

The film is now showing at the 12th International Women’s Film Festival in Seoul (IWFFIS) through April 15, before a nationwide theatrical release on April 22.