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Film Search
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Animation can be employed to tell any kind of story—and this one is a glorious work of art that is decidedly not for children. Director Nora Twomey (The Secret of Kells) and screenwriter Anita Doron adapt Deborah Ellis’ book, set in Taliban-era Kabul, Afghanistan, where a young girl named Parvana (Saara Chaudry) is forced to disguise herself as a boy to earn money for the family after her father (Ali Badshah) is arrested. The narrative doesn’t shy away from the brutality of its setting, emphasizing the violence and misogyny behind the religious façade of the regime while building a compelling character in the stubborn Parvana. Yet it also does things a live-action interpretation couldn’t do, like bringing to life a fanciful hero-quest story-within-the-story filled with often-hilarious visual detail. Twomey allows silence to settle effectively over certain scenes, making something as simple as the peeling of an apple an effective character moment. Ambitious and thoughtful right up to a climax that intercuts between multiple settings with a sense of epic consequence, The Breadwinner is the year’s finest animated feature, with nary a CGI animal to be found.
Official Site: thebreadwinner.com
Director: Nora Twomey
Producer: Karim Amer, Mimi Gitlin, Jehane Noujaim, Gerry Shirren, Angelina Jolie, Anthony Leo, Tomm Moore, Andrew Rosen and Paul Young
Cast: Saara Chaudry, Laara Sadiq, Shaista Latif, Ali Badshah, Noorin Gulamgaus, Kawa Ada, Soma Chhaya and Ali Kazmi
Director: Nora Twomey
Producer: Karim Amer, Mimi Gitlin, Jehane Noujaim, Gerry Shirren, Angelina Jolie, Anthony Leo, Tomm Moore, Andrew Rosen and Paul Young
Cast: Saara Chaudry, Laara Sadiq, Shaista Latif, Ali Badshah, Noorin Gulamgaus, Kawa Ada, Soma Chhaya and Ali Kazmi
