Sotto il burqa

This was a unique and very different kind of movie. It's not likely that an animated movie would be set in war-torn Afghanistan. But this one was. And it _felt_ very authentic. I'm no authority on whether it was authentic or not, but it's the attention to detail that lends to the feeling of authenticity. Details about life, the clothing, the accents, the marketplaces, the politics, the culture, etc., add to the richness of the movie.

It's an animated movie. So of course you expect it to all end well at the end. But as you near the ending, you start to wonder how could it possibly end up all well. And then you get to the ending. And then, I don't know. Of course, I won't spoil it. But the ending was not a conventional ending. It wasn't a sad ending; it wasn't a happy ending. I guess it was an ambiguous ending. And even though it leaves me without a fully satisfying ending, the journey it took me on was fantastic!

In the Taliban-controlled city of Kabul, Afghanistan in the early 2000s, Parvana (voiced by Saara Chaudry) is a pre-teen girl who must disguise herself as a boy in order to earn money for her family. As females are forbidden to appear in public without an adult male, she must also shop for the family as well.

"The Breadwinner" is an animated film co-produced by Canada, Ireland, and Luxembourg and is in the English language.

The story (from the book by Deborah Ellis) can be highly praised for focusing on Parvana's struggles while also involving related subplots that add richly to the story without ever creating the feeling of overwhelm or confusion. The most fascinating is one that begins as Parvana (as a boy) is approached by an illiterate man who needs to have a letter read to him.

This film pulls no punches in the injustice against females by Taliban zealots. One of the ways this is exposed is when Parvana walks outside for the first time dressed as a boy and the viewer can easily sense her great feeling of freedom.

Two other strengths add to the greatness of this movie. One is unexpected humour. It truly works despite the grim situation overall and is neither facetious nor unbelievable. The other is the beautiful visuals in the animation. This is especially apparent in a parallel mythical story - one that matches the main narrative - which Parvana narrates to her baby brother.

The finale is open-ended leaving the viewer wondering what will happen to Parvana and her family. It's a rather perfect ending as it gives us just the right amount of information for us to imagine in different ways what could happen next.

Make no mistake: "The Breadwinner" is a winner in many ways. - dbamateurcritic

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.

It was good. Powerful film. As a writer, and a lover of a good story, this was a good story. A glimpse into the look of lives, human lives, that many seem to forget about whenever speaking about the middle east. It reminds me of a more, hopeful version of Grave of the fireflies. Again, a lot more hopeful, but no less powerful. Especially the ending. Worth watching.

Cartoon Saloon shows us a moving story in Afghanistan; the plot is good, the characters are charismatic, the animation is excellent and the soundtrack is very good; I highly recommend it.