The Breadwinner (2017) Review
Director: Nora Twomey
Screenplay: Anita Doron, Deborah Ellis
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Noorin Gulamgaus, Laara Sadiq, Ali Badshah, Shaista Latif, Kawa Ada
Animated films today often trade depth for dazzling spectacle, but The Breadwinner is a rare exception: a movie that combines delicate artistry with a powerful, adult story. Directed by Nora Twomey and produced by the team behind Song of the Sea, this film follows Parvana, a young girl in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan who disguises herself as a boy to support her family after her father is unjustly arrested. The result is a finely crafted, emotionally devastating film that lingers long after the credits roll.
The Breadwinner is notable for its brutally honest depiction of life under Taliban rule and the ripple effects of international conflict. The film refuses to soften the reality of oppression: women and girls are stripped of basic freedoms, and ordinary acts—walking to the market, buying food—become acts of courage. That starkness fuels the film’s emotional core. Scenes that evoke anger and outrage at the regime’s misogyny are balanced with quieter moments of tenderness and human resilience, creating an experience that feels both searing and uplifting.
What makes the movie work so profoundly is the combination of a precise screenplay, compelling character work, superb voice performances and striking animation. Saara Chaudry anchors the film with a remarkable performance as Parvana, capturing her shift from fearful girl to determined young hero with nuance and heart. The supporting cast, including Noorin Gulamgaus as Idrees, turn in performances that complicate the film’s moral landscape—Idrees is at times hateful and frightening, yet the writing and acting also reveal him as a damaged young man, a reminder of how extremism preys on the vulnerable.
The Breadwinner also excels at portraying ordinary family dynamics in extraordinary circumstances. Parvana’s relationships—with her mother, siblings and older sister Soraya—ring true in their sibling rivalries, small kindnesses and private jokes. Those domestic moments make the stakes feel immediate: when Parvana triumphs at a simple task, the victory carries the weight of survival and dignity. This realism in family portrayal allows viewers from any background to find a human connection in the story.
Artistically, the film alternates between a muted, realistic palette for daily life and a vivid, illustrative style for the stories Parvana tells. These tales-within-the-film—centered on a mythic boy and a fearsome, fiery elephant—offer catharsis and allegory. The transition from the sepia tones of hardship to the jewel-like colors of imagination is graceful and purposeful: the childlike stories are both an escape and a means to process trauma. The film’s hand-drawn sequences and paper-art flourishes evoke traditional 2D animation while feeling fresh and emotionally resonant.
The narrative tension is sustained throughout the film in large part because of the storytelling device of Parvana’s tales. The boy-and-elephant story runs parallel to Parvana’s own arc, heightening suspense and lending symbolic weight to the film’s climax. The fantasy segments intensify the drama, shifting emotions from fear and rage to sadness and, ultimately, compassion.
“Raise your words, not your voice, it is rain that makes the flowers grow, not thunder.”
That line, taught to Parvana by her father, encapsulates one of The Breadwinner’s central truths: stories and words can be sources of strength and transformation, even in the face of cruelty. The film affirms that storytelling preserves humanity and offers resistance against forces that would silence it.
The Breadwinner earned recognition as a nominee for Best Animated Feature, and it’s easy to see why. It is an intelligent, emotionally rigorous film that treats its subject with respect and honesty. It does not indulge in easy sentimentality; instead, it invites the audience to feel deeply and to grapple with uncomfortable truths about power, war and our collective responsibility.
Ultimately, The Breadwinner is a testament to animation’s ability to tell serious, adult stories. It is a film that will make you angry, make you cry and, at times, make you laugh. Most of all, it will stay with you: a quiet, fierce portrait of courage in a place where courage is often the only thing left to give.
22/24