Desert Flower (2009)

47% of critics liked it
(19 reviews)
75% of users liked it
(3,305 ratings)

A woman who achieves stardom against all odds uses her celebrity to make a difference in the land she left behind in this drama based on a true story. Waris Dirie (Liya Kebede) was born in Somalia, where she was one of a dozen children raised by a family of travelers. Waris grew up poor, and at the… More A woman who achieves stardom against all odds uses her celebrity to make a difference in the land she left behind in this drama based on a true story. Waris Dirie (Liya Kebede) was born in Somalia, where she was one of a dozen children raised by a family of travelers. Waris grew up poor, and at the age of five, like many girls in East Africa, she was the victim of genital mutilation, a practice performed by Muslims in the belief it will insure that the girls will remain "true virgins." At 13, Waris' family sold her to an elderly man, but rather than live under his tyranny, she ran away and eventually settled in London. After a series of odd jobs, Waris was attending school and working at a hamburger stand in her spare time when she was spotted by Terry Donaldson (Timothy Spall), a professional photographer. Terry was convinced that Waris had the looks and poise to be a model, and with the help of Lucinda (Juliet Stevenson), an agent, Waris begins making a name for herself in fashion modeling. But as she becomes an international success in the glamorous world of high fashion, Waris can't escape the cruel irony that while she's known for her sex appeal, the mutilation from her youth prevents her from fully enjoying lovemaking, and she uses her rising fame to speak out against the barbaric practice still forced upon many young girls in the Third World. Desert Flower was an official selection at the 2009 Venice International Film Festival, where it was screened as part of the "Venice Days" program. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: R, 2 hr.
Directed By: Sherry Horman
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Mar 18, 2011 Wide
On DVD: Jul 19, 2011
Studio: National Geographic Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
It has a compelling message and surrounds it with biopic scenes that appear to be brought in from a different kind of movie. The effect is rather unsettling.
Rex Reed, New York Observer
Waris Dirie is an inspiration, inside and out, and so is this movie.
Mark Jenkins, NPR
The broad comedy clashes with the movie's final message.
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times
"Desert Flower," a well-made film that depicts the remarkable life of the model Waris Dirie, manages to be both a classic feel-good story and about as far from a feel-good story as you can get.
V.A. Musetto, New York Post
Good idea, mediocre presentation.
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times
A lovely performance by Ethiopian supermodel-actress Liya Kebede as supermodel-activist Waris Dirie works wonders to elevate this uneven, occasionally awkward but often absorbing film.
Sarah Sluis, Film Journal International
This inspiring story of a nomad-turned-model is executed in the style of a made-for-TV movie.
S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media
Mature biopic has moving drama but lacks coherence.
Marc Mohan, Oregonian
Waris' saga is one that needs to be told, but this well-meaning dramatization might have had more power if it were a documentary.
John Hartl, Seattle Times
Written and directed by German filmmaker Sherry Hormann, it works as well as it does because of the performances she's drawn from a solid cast.
Richard Mowe, Boxoffice Magazine
A gripping, if uneven, cinematic journey.
Diego Costa, Slant Magazine
The film's unabashed willingness to go from bleak topical piece on genital mutilation to guilty-pleasure glamour can be disconcerting.
Pete Hammond, Back Stage
A stirring story that mixes personal horror, courage and eventually triumph.
Clay Cane, BET.com
'Desert Flower' is a superbly told story with unapologetic conviction, noticeable fire, and the purest intentions of moving your soul. The first must-see movie of the year.
Simon Miraudo, Quickflix
Desert Flower is just like Pretty Woman, if Pretty Woman were also about genital mutilation in Somalia (which I believe it originally was).
Harvey S. Karten, Compuserve
A beautiful model bears eloquent witness to the butchery of female circumcision.
Craig Mathieson, sbs.com.au
It cannot get past the simplest of outlooks, with Waris as victim, survivor or star; there's little insight into she really is.
Cara Nash, FILMINK (Australia)
Despite capable performances and an important subject matter, this is let down by its unsure tone and tendency to veer toward sentimentality

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Cynthia S

Very terrible subject. Well done little movie. I remember this subject being in the headlines many years ago...now I know why. I sure hope that this horrifying practice in other countries of circumcising women is done with. Good lord what a world!!
Walter M

"Desert Flower" starts with Waris(Liya Kebede) walking out of a doorway into pedestrian traffic in London in traditional dress. Homeless, she has little choice but to sleep on the streets and dig in the garbage for any scraps of food she can find. That's not to… More
"Desert Flower" starts with Waris(Liya Kebede) walking out of a doorway into pedestrian traffic in London in traditional dress. Homeless, she has little choice but to sleep on the streets and dig in the garbage for any scraps of food she can find. That's not to mention her attempt at shoplifting going badly awry, alerting an employee, Marylin(Sally Hawkins). However, Marylin takes pity on the woman from Somalia, putting her up in her room, giving her a lead on a job at a burger bar and even donating her down jacket to the cause. While at the fast food restaurant, it is not Waris' mopping abilities that catch the attention of Donaldson(Timothy Spall) but her cheekbones, since he is a photographer and gives her his card. As a form of celebrating, the women go dancing where Waris meets Harry(Anthony Mackie) from New York. Later that night, the friends make disturbing discoveries about each other. Even with a couple of subplots that go nowhere, "Desert Flower" is a compelling movie that puts a spotlight on the very serious problem of female genital mutilation in the developing world. Amongst other things, Winston Churchill was wrong when he said history is written by the victors. It is written by the survivors, Waris being a prime example, after her ordeal and journey from Somalia. And throughout the movie Waris gets increasingly more comfortable with herself and less ashamed of her body. Unlike her friend Marylin, grace and talent come naturally to Waris, inferring that she was meant to become famous enough to take control of her own narrative to tell her story to millions while Donaldson takes little advantage of any fame as a photographer. All of which got me thinking of a conversation I had with a friend after Elizabeth Taylor's death this week. She mentioned that Taylor through her celebrity had brought in more money for AIDS research than her films did.
Nicolas K

Waris Dirie must be an amazing woman. There is evidence shown through snippets of horrific moments in her life. The problem with the film is, that there is too much attention to her modelling career and the difficulties she encountered as a model, than her actual struggle with her… More
Waris Dirie must be an amazing woman. There is evidence shown through snippets of horrific moments in her life. The problem with the film is, that there is too much attention to her modelling career and the difficulties she encountered as a model, than her actual struggle with her background, her body and the transformation from a victim to a voice of of hope for others. Sally Hawkins' character although important to the plot is setting a silly tone to a serious issue.
Leo L

"The extraordinary true story of the woman who crossed a desert and changed the world." Desert Flower, a film directed by Sherry Hormann, is based upon Waris Dirie's autobiographical account (also from the same title). Waris Dirie collectively, and remarkably, depicts… More
"The extraordinary true story of the woman who crossed a desert and changed the world." Desert Flower, a film directed by Sherry Hormann, is based upon Waris Dirie's autobiographical account (also from the same title). Waris Dirie collectively, and remarkably, depicts various definitive events that mark her personal journey from nomadic childhood living in the Somali desert to the luxurious lifestyle of being a former international supermodel. At the height of her career, she expresses her views and own personal experience about "the day that her life changed" in an interview with Marie Claire magazine. Above all, she emphasized upon an atrocity inflicted upon young girls in a most cruel and mutilating cultural practice. As a UN spokeswoman, she advocates for the end of female circumcision. Escaping an arranged marriage to an older man at the age of 13, young Waris treks through the desert to the capital, Mogadishu. It is there that she finds both her aunt and grandmother. After learning of her plight, they secure a housekeeping position for her with a wealthy family in the Somali Embassy in London. Leaving behind her mother and siblings, she travels to England all alone. After several years, her grandmother's premonition holds true. Civil war eventually breaks out in Somalia. After the Somali Embassy closes in London, an elder Waris is left behind and struggles to survive on the streets of London. In a departmental store, she meets Marilyn McKeene who eventually becomes her lifelong friend. Marilyn and Waris are total opposites, and various antics of Marilyn continually shock Waris. Cultural, social, and gender differences mark numerous hurdles for Waris. However, in Marilyn, Waris finds solace, comfort, and a sister. Liya Kebede, Sally Hawkins, Timothy Spall, Juliet Stevenson, Meera Syal, Craig Parkinson, and Anthony Mackie stars; a most impressive performance by young Soraya Omar-Scego. The film's main theme is a beautiful music composition performed by Martin Todsharow. This is a most powerfully driven drama that will leave not an eye dry.