The series Kaboul, broadcast on France 2 from March 31, 2025, offers a striking immersion into Afghanistan in 2021. This dramatic program recounts fifteen crucial days, marked by the return of the Taliban to power. It tells the story of an Afghan family seeking to escape. Additionally, European diplomats face an urgent and tense evacuation.
Created by Olivier Demangel and Thomas Finkielkraut, and directed by Kasia Adamik and Olga Chajdas, the series is based on real events. It illustrates the rapid collapse of a country, twenty years after the launch of the Western intervention. The script also touches on Afghanistan’s troubled past, between the Soviet war and the rise of the Mujahideen, to provide historical insight.
A Choral and Immersive Narrative
Kaboul adopts a choral narrative to better reveal the magnitude of the crisis. Zahara Nazany, a threatened prosecutor, embodies the strength of Afghan women fighting for their rights. Her son, Fazal, a disoriented soldier, hopes to negotiate his salvation with a CIA agent. Her sister, Amina, a surgeon, faces a new rule: female doctors can only work with strict gender separation.
These trajectories highlight the fear and helplessness that paralyze the capital. Everyone desperately seeks a flight to escape the chaos. The few exits are dwindling, while the pressure increases.
The Shadow of Embassies and the Urgent Evacuation
At the French embassy, Jonathan Zaccaï plays Gilles, the security chief. He fears an Islamist attack and tries to protect civilian lives. Meanwhile, an Italian diplomat, played by Gianmarco Saurino, manages the reception of refugees at the airport, while observing the dominant position of the United States in this crisis. The German agent portrayed by Jeanne Goursaud defies bans to extract an Afghan general from a dead-end situation.
According to the French Ministry of Defense, Operation Apagan, conducted in August 2021, evacuated over 3,000 people from Kabul. This reality fuels the suspense of the series. The characters, whether diplomats or civilians, face logistical obstacles and a constant sense of threat.
An Ambitious Co-production for a European Drama
The result of a co-production bringing together 13 European countries, Kaboul testifies to the scale of cultural engagement around this subject. Supported by France Télévisions, ZDF, RAI, and other broadcasters, the series has a continental dimension. Filming took place in Greece, at the former Hellenikon airport, chosen to replicate the fever that reigned at Kabul airport.
Filming in Afghanistan remained impossible for security reasons. However, the teams faithfully recreated the suffocating atmosphere. They included the dust and the roar of planes. Moreover, they captured the anxiety of a missed departure. The tense direction accentuates the impression of constant danger.
A Human Perspective Rather Than a Geopolitical Analysis
Without dwelling on the Doha agreement or political negotiations, Kaboul highlights individual experiences. Its dramaturgy depicts the confusion of a hasty departure and the misunderstanding that prevails among the population. This approach complements documentaries like Kaboul Chaos or Fleeing Kabul, already dedicated to civilian testimonies.
The book by François Forestier, scheduled for April 3, also delves into the theme of Afghan abandonment. Similarly, the film 13 Days, 13 Nights, directed by Martin Bourboulon with Roschdy Zem and Lyna Khoudri, shares this desire to convey the memory of a collective tragedy.
Thwarted Hopes and a Poignant Observation
The series Kaboul illustrates the distress of those who fail to escape. Women find themselves confined, without prospects. Children wander the streets, amid Taliban checkpoints. Diplomats, meanwhile, are busy but under pressure from their governments. This picture aligns with reports from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, indicating a massive exodus from Afghanistan.
Throughout the episodes, acts of solidarity emerge, reminding us of human strength in adversity. These rare moments of courage illuminate a dark horizon, as if to highlight the will to survive.
A Collective Memory in the Making
Kaboul goes beyond mere entertainment. It shows the reality of a human and political disaster, often reduced to abstract figures. Its style, inspired by the incisive writing dear to Joseph Kessel, favors emotion and the authenticity of testimonies. Spectators then discover the extent of the Afghan drama and question: who bears the responsibility for this failure?
Through this powerful evocation, the series questions the Western withdrawal and its consequences. It reminds us that beyond official reports, destinies are shattered in the turmoil. Ultimately, Kaboul remains an act of transmission, an essential chronicle that testifies to the price of freedom, exile, and human dignity.
