4 minutes: he named me malala (pink rickshaw)

"I don't want to be remembered as the girl who got shot. I want to remembered as the girl who stood up."-Malala Yousafzai

Most everyone knows some aspect of teen activist Malala Yousafzai's amazing story. Whether it is the headlines regarding the horrific attempt on her life and her remarkable recovery, or her outspoken activism for girls' education around the world or perhaps, how she is the youngest Noble Peace Prize winner. In fact most of her story is so well documented in the media, I was very curious what fresh perspective the new documentary, He Named Me Malala would present. David Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth, Waiting For Superman) definitely does not disappoint. His film is a lovely but powerful portrait of Malala that definitely covers all the aforementioned headlines (including a goose bump inducing recount of the assassination attempt) but also feels very intimate by focusing on her family and her everyday life. Malala struggles in Physics class, picks on her brothers, likes looking at Roger Federer online. In a nutshell, "Superheroes: They're just like us!" These small moments of reminding the audience that despite her icon status, Malala is a still a regular teenage girl who was forced to leave her native home and adjust to life in London are touching and the strength of the film. Those moments are beautifully contrasted with footage of her admirable passion, eloquence and dedication when traveling around the world advocating for education for girls.

As implied by the title, a great deal of the film covers Malala and her father's relationship and also dives into Malala's father, Zia Yousafzai's own story of activism. We also learn that Malala's namesake is Malalai of Maiwand, a young girl who was a poetess and warrior from Afghanistan. As a a young girl, she was killed after using her voice to rally Pashtun fighters against British troops. The namesake story and Zia's story are both beautifully animated. One of the most memorable moments in the film for me is when Malala addresses her father's role in her life of activism (and the implied controversial notion that he may have pushed her into it) by saying, "He only gave me the name Malala — he didn't make me Malala. I chose this life."

I saw an early screening of the film last week and it was so encouraging to see so many teenagers and young girls (and boys) in the audience. I am hoping this trend continues when the film opens nationwide today. I encourage you to watch He Named Me Malala and if possible, bring a young person. No matter how many times you hear a part of Malala's story or about her mission, whether it is via an article, her book or perhaps this film, bottom line is: it is always inspiring. I think we all often get jaded about this crazy world, and films like this are the occasional, hopeful reminder we need about the extraordinary difference one person can make.

He Named Me Malala is playing in theaters nationwide Oct 9. You can watch the trailer here and you can learn more and support Malala's activism at the Malala Fund.

image source: Corbis via Discovery News; Fox SearchLight

-SD