Banaz Mahmod executed for love crimes. Mahmood was the victim of an “honor killing” when he was suffocated and stuffed into a suitcase at the age of 20. This classification of murders is perpetrated by members of the victim’s own family in response to perceived shame or an act of shame. The feature-length documentary, Banaz: A Love Story, tells the tragic story of her short life and brutal murder by the very people who should have cared for her most.
Mahmoud and his family moved from northern Iraq to the UK when he was ten. Seven years later, she married a much older man through an arranged marriage. When the relationship became threatening and violent, she took steps to end the marriage, falling in love with the man of her choice in the process. Given her traditionally restrictive nature, especially as it concerns women’s most basic rights, these acts are considered serious crimes worthy of eventual punishment by some family members.
The film paints a creepy, yet remarkably sensitive and humane portrait of a woman of promise who has long been the victim of a culture designed to oppress her. The most damaging evidence came from a sister who testified against her family during the trial. Insisting on remaining anonymous, hiding and hiding behind a burqa, fearing for her life, she tells the story of a woman of stunning beauty whose greatest sin was wanting to overcome the limitations imposed on her.
The sister said the restrictions were imposed at a very young age when Mahmood was forced to undergo genital mutilation at the hands of her own family from an early age, along with each of her female siblings. In the weeks leading up to her death, she continued to suffer from the indifference of those who were supposed to protect her, as she sought advice from the police five times, only to be met with suspicion and inaction each time.
Banaz: A Love Story, winner of several prestigious awards, is indeed ugly at times, but it is a personal portrait that demands everyone’s attention and sympathy.
Directed by: Deeyah Khan
