The 2003 film "Osama" is an important film for all Americans to see, because it gives a perspective upon the life of ordinary individuals during the rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Like all good films that deal with politics, "Osama" forces audiences to regard life, not in political terms, but how politics affect the individual in society. However, this sense of contemporary relevance is not the only reason to see the film. .

             For a student of sociology, the film provides a critique of how we Americans may see 'coming of age' as a young woman or a young man in our own contemporary society. For Americans, gender is often about personal choice-choosing to dress in a way that expresses our sexuality, or does not express our sexuality. Our choices about how we express are gender revolve around finding a life partner, and what traits our society considers male or female in appearance, and to what degree we embody these traits. However, in a religiously oriented society like Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, one's gender or denying one's gender is more about finding a means to support one's self and one's family, and avoid suffering, starvation, and privation. Women are not allowed to make a living without the presence of a male in their household in Afghanistan, and this creates a society where women are forced to lie and conceal their femininity just to survive.

             The film tells the tale of a young girl and her mother who lose their jobs when the Taliban closes the hospital where they work. The Taliban forbids women to work. This shows how societies that deny women their rights affect women's ability to make a living, not merely become equals with men in their occupations. The rule of the Taliban affects every facet of female life, not simply physical appearance but also female mobility. Women are even forbidden to leave their houses without a male companion. Without a man, a woman is literally nothing, literally a prisoner of her own home and female body.