With its stark imagery and characterizations, the film often feels like a folktale, even though it takes place in the present and addresses ongoing social concerns.

Dukhtar grabs you from the outset and never lets go.

It is an unabashed love letter to Pakistan itself, warts and all. Yet, as a film, it's too by the book to earn a spot of honor in any book, and that's disappointing.

Dukhtar is compelling, visually beautiful and more importantly, an unpretentious well-told story.