The Breadwinner

More than any other film I've seen recently, The Breadwinner is a reminder of just how powerful an artform animation can be.  It saddens me that when most people think of "adult animation", the first thing that pops to mind are projects that are raunchy and push the envelope, such as TV's South Park or last year's Sausage Party.  Animation can tell human and tragic stories, but it seldom does, which is why I applaud the filmmakers here for what they have accomplished.

But maybe it's not so surprising when you realize that the director behind this film is Nora Twomey, who is one of the founders of the Kilkenny, Ireland-based Cartoon Saloon, and was a key player in the group's pair of Oscar-nominated features, The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea.  Instead of Ireland, this film is set in Afghanistan's capital city of Kabul, taking place during the last days of Taliban rule.  However, just like their previous works, this film shares a love of the culture of where the story is set, as well as love of storytelling and striking images.  The movie uses a combination of vivid and realistic images to recreate the dusty streets of Kabul, while also entertaining flights of fancy when its young heroine tells stories, usually to quiet her baby brother when he is fussy.  When she is telling a story, the movie switches to vibrant, fantastic and dream-like images, usually employing stop motion or cut out animation to give it a more fantasy appearance.  Both styles are graceful, and equally compelling.

Taking inspiration from a young adult novel, the film tells the story of an 11-year-old Afghani girl named Parvana (voiced by Saara Chaudry), who is seen sitting on the ground with her father, Nurullah (Ali Badshah), when we first meet her.  They are in front of a small space in the Kabul bazaar where they are selling some of their few remaining possessions so that their family can buy food.  Nurullah is a former teacher and gifted storyteller, and is trying to pass his love of stories down to his daughter, as he believes that stories must always remain in the hearts of people.  Parvana is skeptical of her father's words, but will later understand what he means when stories are the only way she can comfort other people or sometimes herself in times of crisis and pain.  While at the marketplace, the two are confronted by two members of the Taliban, who only back off when Nurullah shows them the physical price he paid when he served in a war in his younger years.

Back home, mother Fattema (Laara Sadiq) and older sister Soraya (Shaista Latif) are left to worry about the future of the family if they cannot make any money to live.  Just then, those same Taliban soldiers have tracked Nurullah back to his home and immediately arrest him, even though he has done nothing wrong.  He is sent to a distant prison where he will likely die.  Fattema tries to make the journey to the prison to get her husband free, but she is stopped by another man and is beaten severely because of the oppressive rule that a woman should not be out on the streets alone.  Parvana lives in a world where women must be accompanied by men, and there is no one in her family who can help them.  Yes, they do have cousins who live in a distant city, but it is unknown if they would be able to help the family out of their situation.  Seeing no other choice, Parvana cuts her hair off and disguises herself as a young boy, so that she can go out into the marketplace by herself to buy food for her family, and also sell personal belongings in the marketplace, in the hope that she can get enough money to bribe a guard at the prison her father is being kept so that she can see him.

The Breadwinner is often a harrowing story of survival, but it is also one of hope.  The hope comes from the sequences where Parvana tells a story to her baby brother about a young boy who attempts to save his village from a greedy Elephant King who has stolen most of the village's food.  The stories are not just an escape from the reality around them, but to also give them strength in real life.  As a boy, Parvana can go to places that she couldn't normally as a girl.  She finds a girl from school named Shauzia (Soma Chhaya) has made the same choice that she has, and together they look for work.  Parvana wants to help her family and free her father, while Shauzia wants to save up enough money to escape her current life and visit the ocean.  When Shauzia talks about her family and her father, she often becomes sad, as her parents can be cruel to her.  So, she is working to save herself.

What I admired most about the film is despite the fact that it is animated, it never backs away from the harsh cruelty of the Taliban, and the cultural injustices that Parvana and other women face everyday.  There are some scenes of violence that can be surprisingly brutal, but are never flashy.  We are witnessing cruelty, and the movie never lets us forget it.  These strong images are what have given the film a PG-13 rating, and while they can be startling, the film never dwells or lingers on them.  It shows us just enough.  I do think older children would get a lot out of the film, and it may also introduce them to the idea that animation can be so much more than talking animals and Minions.  I also hope that some Hollywood executives would watch this, and reach the same conclusion.

The Breadwinner is powerful both in its story and in the artwork.  Accompanied by a lush Afghan-themed music score by Mychael and Jeff Danna, this movie is truly transporting, and shows us a part of the world many seldom see.  The story itself is about bravery, but the movie itself is pretty brave as well.  I applaud Twomey and her team of artists for tackling a story like this, and I truly hope audiences will seek it out as it slowly expands across the US during the coming weeks.  It's currently only playing in New York and L.A. at the moment, but it will open further during the coming holiday weeks.  Don't let this one pass by.

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