Malala Yousafzai in He Named Me Malala (Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.)

There is a lot to learn from Malala Yousafzai. Three years ago in her Swat Valley village in Northwestern Pakistan, the Taliban shot Malala, then 15, for daring to speak out in favor of girls’ education. Rather than let that stop her, Malala has grown into a world leader and the youngest Nobel Peace Prize recipient, lobbying for education reform around the world. This documentary tribute tells the story of Malala’s courage and how her liberal parents inspired her.

He Named Me Malala is not for the cynical. Malala, years later, claims not to feel any hatred for those who tried to assassinate her. Whatever animosity she feels is small enough to be measured in subatomic particles: “Maybe a quark,” she says. You might be expecting a paean to idealism from director Davis Guggenheim, who also helmed An Inconvenient Truth. His work tends to be message heavy; this film focuses on how school, and by extension intellectual freedom, is a basic human right for all children. (There are one or two unfortunate moments that make the film feel a bit like an advertisement for the book it’s based on, I Am Malala, but as a whole it’s strong enough to overlook this.)

However, even the most doubtful viewer would be hard pressed not to empathize with her struggle. Guggenheim follows Malala as she travels around the world, seen in many clips of her giving inspiring speeches at venues such as the United Nations. Guggenheim also paints Malala as a normal teenager, interested in boys and fretting about homework. (She regrets that, due to class missed while meeting world leaders, she has collected a slew bad test grades.) Malala admits that she’s had a hard time adjusting to life in Britain, and she and her family miss their Pakistani home terribly. The Taliban has threatened another attempt on her life if she returns.

Artfully made, the film makes great use of visuals and music. Memories from Malala and her parents are beautifully animated by Jason Carpenter. Carpenter uses vivid watercolors to take us places the filmmakers couldn’t go, including the inside of Malala’s school back in Pakistan. The music is low-key, perfectly matching the film’s tone.

Malala’s father named her after a 19th-centry Afghani girl who spoke out against war against the British and was shot for it. Ironically, this Malala was shot by her own people and took refuge in the UK. Malala’s father, Ziauddin, said that when she was younger, people used to ask why he gave his daughter a name that meant sadness. But he responded that Malala had another meaning: bravery.