Kabul’s Last Stand: Roschdy Zem Leads Tense Embassy Evacuation in "13 Days, 13 Nights

Martin Bourboulon’s film is an adaptation of the autobiographical novel by Commander Mohamed Bida, who inspired the character played by Jonathan Zaccaï in the series Kaboul on France 2. In this film, which has been in theaters since last Friday, we see a Roschdy Zem under pressure in the role of this commander who negotiates with the Islamists a last bus convoy to the airport after being trapped with his men and 400 refugees while they were going to the French embassy in Kabul on August 15, 2021.

"I was convinced that the role was made for him," the director confides in the production notes of the film. Eva (Lyna Khoudri), a Franco-Afghan humanitarian who wants to leave with her mother born in Kabul, plays the interpreter for "Mo" who was in a delicate situation with a Taliban leader pointing an AK-47 at him. Danish actress Sidse Babett Knudsen, known for her roles in The Girl from Brest or The Ermine, plays the role of journalist Kate in this war film.

Unlike the adaptation of the book The Three Musketeers, Martin Bourboulon offers a version too closely tied to Mohamed Bida’s autobiographical novel in "13 Days, 13 Nights," without pure action. This gives the film a too classic character that is content to put a narrative on the screen.