Animated story of Taliban rule holds vital lesson
MOVIE REVIEW /
In its power and its beauty, “The Breadwinner” reminds us that animation can be every bit as much of a medium for adults as it is for children.
The film — set in the Afghanistan capital of Kabul in 2001, in the waning days of Taliban rule — does have an 11-year-old girl as its protagonist, but that’s the only childish thing about it.
Rather, “The Breadwinner” is unexpectedly tough-minded in its depiction of the harsh excesses of life under the Taliban, detailing the reign of terror that resulted from civil society being under the thumb of arrogant religious police.
Director Nora Twomey’s name might not be wellknown, but devotees of animation will be more than familiar with her background and her credits.
Along with Tomm Moore and Paul Young, Twomey founded the Cartoon Saloon, based in Kilkenny, Ireland, and was a key player in the group’s pair of brilliant, Oscar-nominated features: “The Secret of Kells” and “Song of the Sea.”
“Breadwinner” shares with its predecessors a vivid sense of a very specific culture as well as a gift for strikingly beautiful visuals.
Working from the youngadult novel by Deborah Ellis, Film Center Directed by Nora Twomey.
PG-13 (for thematic material including some violent images) 1:34 at the Gateway screenwriter Anita Doron introduces us to intrepid Parvana (voiced by Saara Chaudry), a young girl who doesn’t like to be told what she can’t do.
Parvana is encountered sitting on the ground with her father, Nurullah (Ali Badshah), in front of a small space in the Kabul bazaar where they’re selling some of their possessions so that their family can buy food.
A master storyteller who fills in Parvana (and the audience) on Afghanistan’s troubled past, Nurulluh believes deeply that “stories remain in our hearts when all else is gone” — even though Parvana, at least initially, remains skeptical about their value.
The father and daughter are suddenly confronted by two aggressive members of the Taliban who back off only when Nurullah demonstrates that he’s an army veteran who has paid a steep price for his service.
Back home, mother Fattema (Laara Sadiq) and older sister Soraya (Shaista Latif) worry about the fate of the family, which includes a toddler — and life is about to get worse.
The Taliban track Nurullah down to his house and arrest him for no apparent reason, carting him off to a grim prison at the edge of town. Because of the oppressive, misogynistic nature of Taliban rule, the situation puts the family in a terrible position.
Women aren’t allowed on the streets without male guardians, and store owners won’t sell to unaccompanied females. When Fattema defies the ban and attempts to check on her husband’s situation, she is savagely beaten by a Taliban operative and barely makes it home.
With the family’s survival at stake, Parvana takes the extreme step of cutting off her hair, donning clothes belonging to a brother who has died and going out into the world to become the breadwinner of the title.
Collaborating with Shauzia (Soma Chhaya), a friend from school who has done the same thing, the two girls discover that “when you are a boy, you can go anywhere you like.” But even with that advantage, life always remain precarious with the Taliban in charge.
Intercut with the realistic present-day narrative, “Breadwinner” shows us a story that Parvana is telling her toddler brother — a fable, shown in playful, cutout animation, concerning a boy who takes on an evil Elephant King in order to save his village from starvation.
With Parvana’s tale echoing the main narrative, the film reinforces the importance of story for survival.
A work of striking beauty and affecting emotional heft enhanced by an Afghanthemed score by Mychael Danna & Jeff Danna, “The Breadwinner” reminds us yet again that the best of animation takes us anywhere at any time and makes us believe.