Subtitles:

English (SDH), none

Extras:

• Extended Interview with Liya Kebede (16:41 in 480i)

The drama of the proceedings is intense but nicely balanced by the comedy in Hormann's script. The fish-out-of-water elements yield some laughs as Dirie, played by Ethiopian model Liya Kebede, appears to have learned what little English she knows from the Weather Channel and game shows. A number of eccentric characters portrayed by a who's-who of British actors also add to the levity. Golden Globe winner Sally Hawkins plays Dirie's best friend, a goofy would-be ballerina, while Juliet Stevenson nearly steals the show as a no-nonsense modeling agent who drifts ostentatiously between English and French.

Excerpt from Stephanie Merry at the Washington Post located HERE

 

“Desert Flower” may be fiction, but is closely based on the life of Waris Dirie, novelized by this gorgeous Ethiopian woman whose life changed more than that of most of us. After all, how many of us are like Dirie: brought up in the sticks of Somalia tending to sheep and goats, running away on bare feet with no money and nothing to eat until she got to the bustling city of Mogadishu, taken under the wing by her grandmother, who arranged to put her on a flight to some relatives working for the Somali embassy in London? Never mind that Dirie had to work like a slave for these uppity people at the embassy, at least until a revolution in Mogadishu meant that they were out on their butts, leaving Dirie to fend for herself.

Audio :

Supplements consist of a 17-minute interview with model, actress, dramatically pretty Liya Kebede (born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) in SD and an HD trailer.

BOTTOM LINE:
I wasn't expecting to enjoy Desert Flower - but I thought it was okay. Most criticisms that I've seen have some validity but it is still an interesting story if you embrace the characters. Sally Hawkins and Juliet Stevenson are wonderful - as is the likable Liya Kebede. Regardless of it being a true story - the mere circumstances endear it to a celebrated superficiality and soapbox preaching wasn't unbearable. I imagine it would be hard to avoid this but the film has its darker edges with the genital mutilation crux as the unfathomable reality. The Blu-ray while technically modest produces an impressive enough image. I never felt my viewing was a waste.