The Breadwinner
3/4
Starring (voices): Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq, Kawa Ada, Shaista Latif, Ali Badshah, Noorin Gulamgaus
Rated PG-13 for Thematic Material including Some Violent Images
"The Breadwinner" is a deceptively simple story that touches on some powerful themes. Most notably, it shows the brutality of Afghanistan under Taliban rule. But it is more than that. It is a story about family, love and the importance of storytelling.
Parvana (Chaudry) lives in Afghanistan circa mid-2001. Because she's a girl, she can't go to school, leave the house unattended or do much of anything. Nevertheless, her father Nurullah (Badshah) insists on educating her, and teaching her to read or write. Her family, which includes Parvana's mother Fattema (Sadiq), sister Soraya (Latif) and baby brother Zaki (Lily Erlinghauser), is poor, but they get by. However, after a young thug named Idrees (Gulamgaus) arrests Nurullah on trumped up charges, Parvana and her family are left without a source of income. With no options, Parvana takes the drastic step of cutting her hair and presenting herself as a boy. She takes some odd jobs to bring in money for food, but her main goal is to rescue her father.
In some ways, this is like an Italian neo-realist film. Only it's animated and set in Afghanistan. The minutiae of trying to survive day to day provides the conflict. Witnessing the struggles of Parvana doing anything she can to make money is fascinating and occasionally heartbreaking. She becomes adept at acting, lying and manipulation. But even in disguise, she's still under the thumb of some truly wicked people. And the threat of discovery (such an event would likely result in her murder).
As difficult as the subject matter is (and it is at times violent and disturbing...the film is not for young children), it's offset by the introduction of characters who help her, such as Shauzia (Chhaya), an old friend who has also disguised herself as a boy, and Razaq (Ada), one of the men who arrested her father but takes pity on her and becomes her friend. There's also a fictional fable that Parvana tells that parallels the action in the traditional story.
The voice acting is strong, but by the nature of the story, there is no one who "steals scenes." There are no stars or big names in this movie, which helps anchor the story as close to reality as possible. Saara Chaudry lends Parvana enough pluck to make us believe that she could pull a stunt like this off and enough vulnerability to believe that she's doing it because she must. Kawa Ada is also worth mentioning as Razaq, who isn't nearly as frightening as he initially appears.
This story, which, aside from the fable subplot, might seem an unusual one to tell with animation, but it's the right choice. Perspective can be tweaked, images can be manipulated to convey different moods and tones, and expressions and body language can be amplified in ways that aren't possible with live action. Also like with some other adult-oriented films such as "Grave of the Fireflies" or "Princess Mononoke" it serves as another example how it is entirely possible, and in some cases preferable, to tell adult stories with animation.
"The Breadwinner" isn't any kind of a masterpiece. Even at a hair over 90 minutes, it sometimes drags. Plus the film ends a few moments before it should. But I was entertained and I enjoyed myself.
Starring (voices): Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq, Kawa Ada, Shaista Latif, Ali Badshah, Noorin Gulamgaus
Rated PG-13 for Thematic Material including Some Violent Images
"The Breadwinner" is a deceptively simple story that touches on some powerful themes. Most notably, it shows the brutality of Afghanistan under Taliban rule. But it is more than that. It is a story about family, love and the importance of storytelling.
Parvana (Chaudry) lives in Afghanistan circa mid-2001. Because she's a girl, she can't go to school, leave the house unattended or do much of anything. Nevertheless, her father Nurullah (Badshah) insists on educating her, and teaching her to read or write. Her family, which includes Parvana's mother Fattema (Sadiq), sister Soraya (Latif) and baby brother Zaki (Lily Erlinghauser), is poor, but they get by. However, after a young thug named Idrees (Gulamgaus) arrests Nurullah on trumped up charges, Parvana and her family are left without a source of income. With no options, Parvana takes the drastic step of cutting her hair and presenting herself as a boy. She takes some odd jobs to bring in money for food, but her main goal is to rescue her father.
In some ways, this is like an Italian neo-realist film. Only it's animated and set in Afghanistan. The minutiae of trying to survive day to day provides the conflict. Witnessing the struggles of Parvana doing anything she can to make money is fascinating and occasionally heartbreaking. She becomes adept at acting, lying and manipulation. But even in disguise, she's still under the thumb of some truly wicked people. And the threat of discovery (such an event would likely result in her murder).
As difficult as the subject matter is (and it is at times violent and disturbing...the film is not for young children), it's offset by the introduction of characters who help her, such as Shauzia (Chhaya), an old friend who has also disguised herself as a boy, and Razaq (Ada), one of the men who arrested her father but takes pity on her and becomes her friend. There's also a fictional fable that Parvana tells that parallels the action in the traditional story.
The voice acting is strong, but by the nature of the story, there is no one who "steals scenes." There are no stars or big names in this movie, which helps anchor the story as close to reality as possible. Saara Chaudry lends Parvana enough pluck to make us believe that she could pull a stunt like this off and enough vulnerability to believe that she's doing it because she must. Kawa Ada is also worth mentioning as Razaq, who isn't nearly as frightening as he initially appears.
This story, which, aside from the fable subplot, might seem an unusual one to tell with animation, but it's the right choice. Perspective can be tweaked, images can be manipulated to convey different moods and tones, and expressions and body language can be amplified in ways that aren't possible with live action. Also like with some other adult-oriented films such as "Grave of the Fireflies" or "Princess Mononoke" it serves as another example how it is entirely possible, and in some cases preferable, to tell adult stories with animation.
"The Breadwinner" isn't any kind of a masterpiece. Even at a hair over 90 minutes, it sometimes drags. Plus the film ends a few moments before it should. But I was entertained and I enjoyed myself.
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