I explicitly instructed you to remain silent,” he angrily retorts. “I could end your life right now!”
“Fine, go ahead and kill me!” she defiantly responds, matching his tone. “You’ve already closed down schools and universities! It would be preferable to die!”
In a car, a discreet and unsteady camera phone captures this intense confrontation between the woman and the militant.
The incident takes place after her arrest during a protest, just before she is to be transported to a holding cell in Kabul.
This scene is featured in the documentary Bread and Roses, which delves into the daily lives of three women in the aftermath of the takeover.
The producer of the documentary is Jennifer Lawrence, the Academy Award-winning actress, who explains to the BBC why this particular moment holds such significance for her.
“While watching these women defy the Taliban, my heart was pounding with adrenaline,” Lawrence expresses. “These are the untold stories that rarely make it to the news, women standing up and fighting back. It’s a crucial aspect of our film and the narratives of these remarkable women.”
She finds it heart-wrenching to contemplate the sudden loss of control endured by Afghan women.
“Currently, they have no agency or independence within their own country. It is of utmost importance to provide them with the opportunity to chronicle their own experiences, in their own unique way.”