The Breadwinner-2017

Director-Nora Twomey

Voices-Saara Chaudry, Ali Rizvi Badshah

Scott’s Review #769

Reviewed June 7, 2018

Grade: B

Certainly, a timely and politically charged story, The Breadwinner (2017) provides relevance and a progressive women’s empowerment message.

This should be championed above all else and for that reason alone is recommended as a worthy watch.

The film itself is dark and not entirely a children’s movie nor necessarily family-friendly either, but rather a good lesson learned.

Dragging just a bit throughout, this is small potatoes compared to the importance of the overall story.

The animated feature is based on the best-selling novel by Deborah Ellis, which focuses on life in dangerous Afghanistan (circa 2001) under constant threat by Taliban rule.

Since women are not allowed to leave the house and any men daring to question the Taliban are either slaughtered, beaten, or arrested, the film is quite heavy compared to typical animated fare.

The Breadwinner’s main character is a likable eleven-year-old girl named Parvana, who lives in metropolitan Kabul, Afghanistan. Along with her father, she sells items on the city streets to support the rest of the family- wife, daughter, and male toddler.

Parvana’s older brother has died years ago.  Parvana’s father, Nurullah, is a former teacher left crippled by an injury sustained during the war. When he is arrested, Parvana must disguise herself as a boy and work to support her family as she traverses the city with her best friend Shauzia in tow.

The animation is lovely and a definite high point of the film. All of the details look crisp and fresh- from the stark village houses to the vegetable stands and other more metropolitan aspects of the bustling cities, the film just looks very good and professional. The flawless art direction and visuals aid in the believable nature of the story.

Another high point to The Breadwinner is the substance that the story contains- it is not fluffed as commonly seen in modern animated films.

Throughout the film, I knew that I was watching something of meaning. Parvana faces true danger; if she is found out not to be a young boy but instead a young girl she could be beaten, raped, or worse.

Unwisely, early on in the film, she makes an enemy of a young, sadistic soldier, who continues to resurface and threaten Parvana throughout the film.

More than a handful of frightening scenes occur, evidence that director Nora Twomey’s intentions are not for a family-friendly affair.

Given the subject matter at hand, this is a wise move. Toning down the violence and treachery of the Taliban would make the film feel insincere and dishonest. Rather, because of the violence and deaths and beatings that occur throughout, the film feels genuine and the emotions of the characters real.

If I were to point out a shortcoming to the film, The Breadwinner suffers a bit from an erratic approach.

I adore the straightforward aspects of the main story and enjoyed not only the survival instincts and female empowerment but of her innocent friendship with Shauzia. However, a handful of times the film goes in a different direction as Parvana tells stories of a young man’s journey to retrieve seeds stolen from him.

Frankly, this slowed down the main plot and one has little to do with the other making them seem disjointed.

With a worthy and meaningful central storyline, how nice to feast one’s eyes on an artistic animated production so marvelously made.

The Breadwinner (2017) is a treat for those animated film fans yearning for something more intelligent than the standard “kid’s film”.

Perhaps not a perfect “A”, but something of quality nonetheless.

Oscar Nominations: Best Animated Feature Film