The Breadwinner
Short description
The Breadwinner is an animated drama set in Kabul under Taliban rule, where eleven-year-old Parvana lives with her family. When her father is arrested, the household loses the man whose presence allowed it to move through the city and earn a living. With women barred from working and from buying food unaccompanied, Parvana cuts her hair and dresses as a boy to support those at home, helped by her friend Shauzia. The risk of being recognised shadows her days, and she holds on to the aim of bringing her father back.
Nora Twomey directed the film, her second feature after The Secret of Kells and the middle title in the three features she has directed to date. Anita Doron wrote the screenplay, Tomm Moore, Anthony Leo and Stéphan Roelants produced, and the voice cast includes Saara Chaudry as Parvana, Soma Bhatia, Noorin Gulamgaus, Laara Sadiq, Ali Badshah and Shaista Latif. It was a co-production between Ireland, Canada, Luxembourg and the United States.
Released in November 2017, the film runs 94 minutes. On IMDb it holds 7.7 out of 10 from roughly 31,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.8 from a much smaller base of around 950. A critics' rating of 7.9 from 106 reviews sits slightly above both audience scores, indicating broad approval from reviewers as well as viewers.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film features a recording of the female choir of the National Institute of Music of Afghanistan, recorded in Kabul. The same choir sings at the very end of the final credits.
- In the real world and in fiction, they read the same book. It is a collection of poems by the outstanding Persian Sufi poet Rumi (1207-1273).
- Women, participants of the Organization of Women of Afghanistan, wrote letters on the screen, which animators then copied.
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