Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on December 2010

Desert Flower; ©Desert Flower Filmproductions GmbH

Somali supermodel Waris Dirie (played by Ethiopian supermodel Liya Kebede) had a hard time getting to where she is. Circumcised at 3, sold at 13, a teen street urchin in London. She was eventually discovered by a fashion photographer and catapulted to the big time, and has since become a celebrity activist and UN ambassador against female genital mutilation. All well and good, and a truly fascinating journey. But the film’s pulpy tone, along with the filmmakers’ goofy decision to make the story into a feature-length sitcom with a message at the end, trivializes this serious issue. Some parts in Somali.