The autobiography of a Somalian nomad circumcised at 3, sold in marriage at 13, fled from Africa a while later to work in London, where a photographer (Timothy Spall) and an agent (Juliet Stevenson) turn her into a top supermodel.
It has a compelling message and surrounds it with biopic scenes that appear to be brought in from a different kind of movie. The effect is rather unsettling.
"Desert Flower," a well-made film that depicts the remarkable life of the model Waris Dirie, manages to be both a classic feel-good story and about as far from a feel-good story as you can get.
