Review: ‘He Named Me Malala,’ on a Taliban Target and Nobel Laureate

The New York Times – Oct. 2, 2015

By: Neil Genzlinger

Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager who was shot by the Taliban in 2012 but has continued to speak out on behalf of education for girls, is a familiar face in the West by now thanks to a best-selling book, television appearances, speaking engagements and, of course, the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize (which she shared with Kailash Satyarthi). But you may wonder about the real person behind the media phenomenon.

You’ll still be wondering after watching “He Named Me Malala,” a documentary about her by Davis Guggenheim (“An Inconvenient Truth”). The film is primarily interested in spreading her message and seems pitched to a young audience. Nothing wrong with that. But it only occasionally delivers the kind of unguarded moment that makes you feel as if you’re getting beneath the media image, and it is not at all interested in discussing broader issues raised by Ms. Yousafzai’s fame. Read more.