Tribeca Film Festival ’26: One Woman One Bra Condemns Colonialism Savior Complex
By Caroline Cao | June 15, 2026 | Movie Reviews
In 1984, Sharbat Gula‘s photograph became an object of international fascination and the Western gaze. But the photo did not translate into her safety and prosperity. Gula’s photograph gets a shout-out as “Nat Geo Afghan Girl” by a snooty white photographer in the movie One Woman One Bra, a selection at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival.
A stunning and contemplative directorial debut by screenwriter Vincho Nchogu, One Woman One Bra is a stark reflection on what happens when a community neglects its own and a colonizer saviorism complex inflames already existing tensions.
A nomad who has settled in the village of Sayit, Star (Sarah Karei), at 38, finds herself a victim of such when she’s threatened with eviction from her land, having no funds or proven kinship. Nor do the community woman love her, accusing her of turning up their noses at them. They gossip fiercely behind her back. A community leader chides her for not getting married, as it would prevent these problems, he preaches.
When Star finds her childhood photograph on the cover of an information book curated by a white photographer, it becomes the thread she follows in hopes of securing the currency to save her home. The storeowner with the book demands payment from her and eventually improvises an enterprise in which villagers line up to pay to gawk at her photo in the book, underscoring how the dissemination of her image brings her none of the profit.
In one of the film’s long-shot scenes, she waits for possible aid underneath a nonprofit sign labeled Women Empowerment, but the nonprofit center (run by white benefactors-wannabes and their Black staff) does not offer direct help. Then Star’s offhand comment about villagers needing bras sets off a light bulb in the nonprofit’s head. This ushers Star into a questionable contract in which they do not live up to their promises.
As Star haphazardly recruits the villagers into the deal, it sets off a tragic domino effect — even making Star an unwitting accomplice in the chain of exploitation. Her odyssey is very much a shaggy-dog story of a mission being unfulfilled at every turn, every bargain. Cinematographer Muhammad Atta Ahmer captures the colorful wardrobes of the villagers.
One Woman One Bra ends with a shot that is reminiscent of Tribeca Festival’s last year’s Happy Birthday, where a protagonist lights an object and seems at a loss to make a decision, only to swallow the despairing reality of their station. Karei’s aching performance is strong-willed, illustrating a woman who would not kneel at convention to get the home she decides. The ending questions whether the last action might be defiance or giving up the fight, and it doesn’t have to answer it either.
photo credit: Tribeca Festival
