The Breadwinner

The beauty about discovering independent animated films outside of America is that you discover gems that could never be made here. In the case of today's film, it comes from the Irish studio Cartoon Saloon, known for making The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea. Although the film did go under the radar outside of getting an Oscar nom and premiering at TIFF in 2017, it's still regarded as a beloved feature amongst critics and film fans. What could have easily been done in live-action ends up working well in the other medium to really bring to life the turmoil in Afghanistan through pure artistry.

The Breadwinner focuses on a little girl named Parvana who lives under the Taliban rule in Afghanistan. After her father is arrested without charge, Parvana disguises herself as a boy to support her family, whilst working alongside a friend of hers named Shauzia. As a lead, Parvana helps drive the film forward so she can save her loved ones, and the stakes that come from living in such an oppressive country make us sympathize with her. That being said, there is a sense of optimism displayed through both her and Shauzia, as they cleverly trick the hierarchy who view them as boys. It's also neat how the filmmakers made Parvana feel relatable by displaying her home life that shows as many sibling rivalries and issues as the average family.

It's neat how even though the film details many hardships, it also has several moments of sweetness and levity. The film sporadically showcases a story told by Parvana that ends up connecting to all the events happening to her, and it does it in a way where we want to know how it all ends. In terms of dark content, the film does not shy away from displaying the violence, evil from the order and even bits of war to heighten up Parvana's desperation and risk taking. However, there are still moments of soothing relaxation, especially whenever Parvana tells her story, allowing the viewers to digest the severely tense moments. While they can interrupt the main narrative's flow sometimes, it's still cool to see the contrast between the harsh reality and uplifting fantasy displayed in this film.

Cartoon Saloon outdid themselves with their previous features in terms of animation, and this film is no exception. The overall Middle-eastern inspired designs of the film create a very stylish and angular hand-drawn feel that's become so rare to find nowadays. In addition, another notable contrast is how the film emulates reality in Parvana's state of being. In contrast, the stories she tells are presented in a more abstract and storybook illustrative aesthetic that gives one the impression they are viewing an ancient narrative. Where the real world is murky, grainy and filled with bright lights and grim shadows, the surreal worlds of the story display a very versatile amount of colors, designs and characters to utilize the much needed creativity from a storyteller.

Although by no means a happy go lucky film, The Breadwinner succeeds very well in telling a narrative through the harsh realities of growing up in a dangerous country filled with oppression and prejudice. If you haven't seen this film yet, definitely check it out. It works as a story of feminism, it works as a blend of differing mediums shown throughout different states of reality, and it especially works as a biting tale on surviving in a country filled with tyrannical cruelty. This is the kind of underrated gem that demands a larger audience, so it can go on to become a cult classic and then a beloved film by more than just animation buffs. If Cartoon Saloon keeps pushing themselves to making more unique and great content like this, I think they're in for a wonderful future.

This is a film that tells the story of a daughter forced by the circumstances of her world to hide her identity and protect her family from starvation after her father is wrongfully imprisoned. Having said that, this film is beautiful and uplifting. I would definitely recommend this film for young adults on up.

This story shows the effects of war, fundamentalist religion and poverty and how it affects a Muslim family living in Kabul. It is a more honest depiction of Afghani culture than many purely adult films as it has many aspects they don't contain, as it was made to also appeal to children (the violence is all implied, but never shown).

This is a great family film - I watched this with my girlfriend who has had little to no exposure to Middle Eastern culture or Islamic culture. She asked "Do you think this is an accurate depiction of this culture" and I responded: "for some people - families like this, yes". This is a film that talks about the struggles of these places without it being from an American or European viewpoint (as is often the case in the last decade), but it WILL appeal to people from American and Europe as the messages are about a struggle for survival, freedom from oppression and the journey of childhood through uncertain times.

This is by far the best Animated film coming from North America in 2017. Adults will be able to connec the dots here to see the connections to modern politics and current events in the last 20 years.

From the creators of The Secret of Kells & Song of the Sea comes an unexpectedly bleak, depressing & powerfully evocative story that's crafted with the same passion, devotion & intimacy as their previous efforts, and paints a dark, disturbing & daring portrait of life under the regime of terror. Arresting, enchanting & thoroughly captivating, The Breadwinner is another winning feature from Cartoon Saloon that not only establishes them as a strong creative force but also catapults them into the same league as Pixar, Laika & Studio Ghibli.

This is the kind of film that should be celebrated on account of its various political stands all the while presenting a disillusioned tale of the life especially for women and children in an oppressive society that has been shaped not only due to an idiosyncratic yet terrifying form of fundamentalist religion but also because of the continuous warfare of the Afghan region that always treat them as collateral damage. In a lot of fields, this film surpasses a lot of other films that are being celebrated in 2017 for exactly those fields.

This movie gets a perfect score for me, but it's not for everyone.

Recently I saw many movies and even animated movies. But they were all made to impress in cheap ways such as huge stakes, awesome CGI and well known actors. The Breadwinner for me does so much more with so much less.

This movie however is about characters you wouldn't normally care about. About a story so far from your living room that you wont bother to check. And yet, this is why it touched me. It's a realistic take of a distant world. The characters and situations are as down to earth as possible, even compared to live action movies. The soul this movie has, with the small stakes of a poor family and even how a girl copes with the loss of her brother, is what most directors and writers fail to deliver. The movie gives many cultural elements of how an Afgan family lives, how men differ from women and how the whole city works.

I had to check and see if everything depicted in the movie was real in some way. This was a fictional story but so well crafted that left me stunned. I thought it could be a biography like the 10 year old cartoon movie Persepolis (which has similar style and setting) but it's not.

The description of this movie "an 11-year-old girl who cuts off her hair and dresses like a boy to support her family", put me off at first because it reminded me of Mulan. This may not be a blockbuster but it is a superior film made by a smaller company.