In the Hell of Kabul: 13 Days, 13 Nights

Presented out of competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, 13 Days 13 Nights recounts the French embassy's final mission, the exfiltration of thousands of Afghans, during the Taliban's capture of the Afghan capital in August 2021. Adapted from The Hell of Kabul, the autobiographical story of Commander Mohamed Bida, the film unfortunately falls short of its promise.

Director Martin Bourboulon promised "a very gripping, thriller-like story, with a very powerful human depth," which "retraces an authentic operation, carried out in urgency and chaos by French forces, with remarkable composure and a sense of duty. It is a story of collective heroism, diplomatic courage, and moral responsibility." The original story could have led to a great film, like Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty or Ben Affleck's Argo. But contrary to the announced title, the screenplay by Martin Bourboulon and Alexandre Smia covers only three days and deviates from reality. The countdown, which carries suspense, is thus not used. Why add fictional plots, like Eva and her mother, the journalist? This had already been the case for Eiffel, which left the construction of the Tower in the background to focus on a romantic story. As for the Afghan refugees, we will know nothing about them, in an invisibility that raises questions.

Producer Dimitri Rassam (D'Artagnan, Milady, etc.) gave the director the means to make a spectacular action film. This results in large-scale scenes like those at the beginning of the film, the helicopters, the convoy, etc. The reconstruction is credible (the film was shot in Morocco). The director opted for a camera “that would film slowly, to better convey the inner tension of the characters.” Unfortunately, Martin Bourboulon’s academic direction does not convey the sense of urgency and survival, nor the exceptional nature of this operation. The film is far from the masterful September 5th, about the hostage-taking at the 1972 Munich Olympics, which multiplied the points of view in a breathless and exciting story.

Fortunately, the story is carried by talented actors, believable in their action and emotion. Roschdy Zem has all the qualities needed to carry an action film. He perfectly embodies this commander, plagued by doubts, but who shows nothing, and crosses the line. Lyna Khoudri sensitively portrays a French-Afghan humanitarian, exquisitely bilingual. Sidse Babett Knudsen plays a journalist ready to do anything to document the event.13 Days, 13 Nights is a classically directed film that recounts an extraordinary exfiltration operation, very interesting to discover.

In the Hell of Kabul: 13 Days, 13 Nights (13 jours, 13 nuits)
Directed by Martin Bourboulon
Produced by Dimitri Rassam and Ardavan Safaee
Written by Martin Bourboulon, Alexandre Smia
Based on the book 13 Days, 13 Nights in the Hell of Kabul by Mohamed Bida
Starring Roschdy Zem, Lyna Khoudri, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Christophe Montenez, Yan Tual, Fatima Adoum, Shoaib Saïd, Nicolas Bridet, Sayed Hashimi, Avant Strangel, Benjamin Hicquel, Sina Parvaneh
Music by Guillaume Roussel
Cinematography: Nicolas Bolduc
Edited by Stan Collet
Production companies: Pathé Films and Chapter 2
Distributed by Pathé Distribution (France)
Release date: June 27, 2025 (France)
Running time: 112 minutes

Seen on May 28, 2025 at Pathé BNP

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The scene is set: on August 15, 2021, the Taliban have just entered Kabul. There is commotion in the offices of the French Embassy, led by Commander Mohamed Bida, where employees are asked to destroy documents and delete hard drives. Behind the embassy walls, a panicked crowd of at least 400 Afghans presses and jostles, seeking protection from France. Opinions are divided: should they be allowed in, at the risk of compromising the evacuation of French citizens and their nationals? Mohamed Bida does not hesitate and gives the order to open the doors, despite his team's reluctance.

Now it is time to pull together and organize to feed all these refugees. With the agreement of the French ambassador, American planes are to be chartered to evacuate the population to Kabul airport. As the days pass, people grow restless and want to leave, feeling abandoned by France. The only solution Mohamed can think of is for the Taliban to charter buses to take them to the ambassador at the airport. The wait is interminable, but Eva, who is French-Afghan, agrees to act as interpreter despite her fear as a woman. Finally, the situation calms down and the Taliban agree to let the French and many Afghan refugees leave. The long convoy of jeeps and buses sets off toward their destiny and a path of hope.

It is from this point that the film begins to build in intensity, as the long procession's ordeal is far from over. Director Martin Bourboulon succeeds in portraying the joy of leaving Kabul and, at the same time, the anxiety and fear in the stomachs of the passengers as they wonder what awaits them. The minutes following the convoy's departure are intense, with the Taliban appearing at any moment, seemingly without any leaders in charge, and death possibly waiting at the end of the road. The director has surrounded himself with a considerable number of extras, most of them Afghan, which gives the film a realistic and emotionally poignant feel. Multiple twists and turns await us in this production, as we witness the unexpected reactions of the Taliban, which can change in the space of a minute. The viewer, caught up in the turmoil, anxiously follows the slow progress of the convoy, delayed by stupid orders. Fortunately, the commander tries to impose his orders amid the confusion.

There is no particular music in this film, except during the credits, when we hear muffled, jerky noises that suggest the film will be dark. Roschdy Zem plays the leader, the thread that runs through this poignant thriller. He knows how to rally men, touch their heartstrings and push them to surpass themselves.

He perfectly embodies the weathered commander who, as a visionary, knows what it takes, through his experience, to get out of this inextricable situation while avoiding as many deaths as possible. He is remarkable, not to mention the journalist Kate, brilliantly played by Sidse Babett Kudsen, who, at the expense of her life, does not hesitate to abandon her role as a journalist to save her fellow man.

This film, based on real events, recounts the events that took place in August 2021, reminding us of the struggle, suffering, and exfiltration of refugees by the French embassy, allowing us to remember and better understand those moments of anguish. Through its sensitivity and the events it recounts, the film gives us a real sense of what the Afghan people must have gone through.  An action-packed, suspenseful film with no downtime, we follow their journey to freedom step by step. Based on an autobiographical novel by Mohamed Bida, 13 Days 13 Nights is an excellent documentary that provides a valuable reference point for this period in history.

In the Hell of Kabul: 13 Days, 13 Nights
Directed by Martin Bourboulon
Produced by Dimitri Rassam and Ardavan Safaee
Written by Martin Bourboulon, Alexandre Smia
Based on the book 13 Days, 13 Nights in the Hell of Kabul by Mohamed Bida
Starring Roschdy Zem, Lyna Khoudri, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Christophe Montenez, Yan Tual, Fatima Adoum, Shoaib Saïd, Nicolas Bridet, Sayed Hashimi, Avant Strangel, Benjamin Hicquel, Sina Parvaneh
Music by Guillaume Roussel
Cinematography: Nicolas Bolduc
Edited by Stan Collet
Production companies: Pathé Films and Chapter 2
Distributed by Pathé Distribution (France)
Release date: June 27, 2025 (France)
Running time: 112 minutes

Seen on June 17, 2025 at Pathé BNP

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