“No good men” directed by Shahrbanoo Sadat
No Good Men is more than a humorous romance, as suggested in an interview the writer and director gave to Variety in February 2026. It is a fictional story based on real events, set in Afghanistan in 2021, a country that had already endured decades of war and was facing the imminent takeover by the Taliban.
The film is told from the perspective of an authorial storyteller who follows a popular news anchor, Qodrat and a camerawoman, Naru (played by Shahrbanoo Sadat), working for Kabul News. As the capital is facing a violent takeover by Taliban, their work and free speech becomes threaten as the movie continues, displaying one anchor of tyranny.
Qodrat and Naru gradually become a team as she was putting herself in the position of covering the news later supported by Qodrat. Covering stories of domestic abuse and interviewing and talking to Afghan women and friends, Naru becomes convinced that there are no “good men” in Afghanistan.
What are good men? Naru suggests that good men are not abusing their wives, not financially, not physically, not emotionally. At the time, this behavior is far from being the norm, as her reporting demonstrates. Although such patterns of violence still exist worldwide, the film places them within the specific social and political context of Afghanistan in 2021. Many women appear to have accepted their fate, as conversations with Naru’s friends reveal. Naru, however, refuses to remain passive and continues to fight for change.
This struggle is never an isolated one. Personal resistance always takes place within broader systems of power. Naru’s search for “good men” therefore becomes a form of protest against tyranny and inequality, mirroring the country’s wider struggle against Taliban rule. The film suggests that arbitrariness in political oppression leads to arbitrariness in social structures. Violence becomes normalized, reproduced within families and communities. Yet the central question remains: do people shaped by violent systems have to become violent themselves?
Qodrat news anchor and Naru’s colleague, offers an alternative answer. He treats her with respect and integrity, challenging her belief that no good men exist. The film portrays their relationship with remarkable sensitivity, creating a restrained love story that never fully develops. Its fragility reflects the political reality surrounding them, as the Taliban gradually take control of Kabul and other parts of the country.
Naru’s personal life is marked by further conflict. Although she is separated from her husband, she remains legally bound to him and fears losing custody of her son. She struggles to reconcile her growing feelings for Qodrat with his own moral contradictions, as he remains married while becoming emotionally close to her. Do good men have to be concise in their behavior? The film doesn’t aim to answer that and it’s ok.
The movie culminates in Qodrat risking everything to save Naru and her son. Using his professional network, he helps them escape, sacrificing his own chance to leave the country and live freely. This act represents a classic yet powerful form of heroism: selfless, quiet, and deeply moral. Although Naru leaves the country she passionately tried to change, her departure is not an act of surrender. Instead, it signifies her decision to trust in found again (hu)man goodness, even within a system that rewards oppression.
Review by Seraphien Silva dos Santos Schütz - 12.02.2026