Language: English
Director: Nora Twomey
Duration: 94 minutes
The Breadwinner, directed by Nora Twomey and executive produced by Angelina Jolie, is a stunning portrayal of the trauma ordinary people undergo in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
This animated adaptation of the 2000 novel by Deborah Ellis picturesquely captures the life of Parvana, a 11-year-old girl who becomes the sole breadwinner of her family after her father, Nurrullah, was sent to prison by religious fanatics on charges of misspeaking.
This eventually leads the family, comprising Parvana's mother, elder sister and a toddler brother, to utter poverty. Parvana and her mother's attempt to meet Nurrullah in jail ends up in the woman being badly beaten up by a fanatic vigilante for holding her husband's photograph. This is only one occasion where the violent misogyny practiced by the Taliban is explicitly portrayed.
In a bid to save her family from utter poverty, Parvana cuts off her beautiful long hair and goes out in disguise, as a boy. The rest of the film rolls out as a beautifully woven survival drama that has the perfect blend of tension and humor.
Parvana's encounter with Shauzia, another hapless girl dressed up as a boy, offers moments of fun and camaraderie. The two girls' adventurous days, doing odd jobs for meager pay, keep the narrative going.
Parvana's attempts to find her father gives us anxious moments. The fate of the family makes any humanist cringe and empathize with the characters. In parallel, we have a fable told by Parvana to calm her crying brother. The fable reveals itself to be an allegory of the fanatic-ruled state and the hapless people with their good old days taken away from them. The film comes to a close as both the story and the story-within merge.
Beautifully drawn sketches that feature Kabul post the USSR invasion and its male-dominated streets, the deserted roads leading to the prison and the valley under the Hindukush Mountains make The Breadwinner a spectacular visual treat with melodious music in the background. The fable within the narrative is presented through magical visuals that capture the imagination of the audience.
'The Breadwinner' is an extraordinary tale of resistance that challenges religious fanatics.
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