A pink cactus might be the last thing you'd expect to find in a film set in Kabul. That's exactly the point. Created in collaboration with MUBI Türkiye, the No Good Men Limited Collection brings together the objects, symbols and unexpected moments that make Shahrbanoo Sadat's film impossible to forget.
Set in Kabul just before the Taliban's return to power, No Good Men follows Naru, the only female camera operator at the city's main television station. As she fights for custody of her young son after leaving her unfaithful husband, an unexpected connection with a fellow journalist begins to challenge everything she believes about love, freedom and the possibility of "good men." Blending romance, humour and political reality, the film offers a rare portrait of everyday life in Afghanistan beyond the familiar narratives of war. One of the collection's most unexpected graphics comes directly from one of the film's most memorable scenes.
The pink cactus isn't just an illustration. It is a direct reproduction of the cactus-shaped sex toy that appears in the film after Naru receives it from a recently divorced friend celebrating her newfound freedom. Both humorous and quietly radical, the scene reflects No Good Men's ability to find intimacy, desire and absurdity within a deeply patriarchal society.
For Shahrbanoo Sadat, keeping this scene was non-negotiable. During casting, several actresses asked for both the kiss and the cactus scene to be removed before accepting the role. Sadat refused, believing these moments were essential to portraying Afghan women as fully human; women who laugh, fall in love, make jokes, experience desire and navigate everyday life beyond the familiar narratives of conflict and oppression.
Lifted directly from the original on-screen prop, the graphic transforms a fleeting cinematic detail into a wearable reference. More than a provocative object, the cactus reflects the film's central idea: that even under systems built on control, humour, intimacy and personal freedom continue to exist, and deserve to be seen.
