Simply Perfect

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

The protagonist and her sister. The protagonist makes the film unbearable to watch. She is mean, unapologetically impolite, and cynical which mostly through her interactions with her sister and in the beginning of the film. A few sibling arguments or if they fought a few times but then learned to get along more would've been fine but it seems like every time Parvana and Soraya are on-screen together, they are bitter with each other and they never changed.Other than those two annoying me, it's an honest film but it's kind of sad. The plot could've been simpler but still pretty good. I also really liked the different animation styles and how the movie switches from Parvana telling a story to her actual life and her gaining confidence through her story.I can give this film a little respect for its decent directing and producing from the people who made "The Secret of Kells" and "Song of the Sea"

I was truly amazed with this film, I really enjoy those movie that are able to produce certain emotions in me. The story is great and also the characters in it are very empowering. The way it tells the story is awesome, because they had the ability to step out, they were original and creative, using so much colors and different animation. In motion pictures what matters is not if it is an entertaining story full of action or drama, but how the plot is told regarding of its theme. The two combination of the animation present in this film and all the magical and non-magical parts in it, is extraordinary, at least for me. They not only try to show a little of reality of this culture but also a little of fantasy and art present everywhere, regardless of its culture. Breadwinner is really worth your time. 8.8

In Taliban-controlled Kabul, a young girl named Parvana has to sell her best dress on the street with her father Nurullah. He's a former teacher and they're harassed by his former student Idrees turned Taliban. Idrees feels slighted and falsely accuses Nurullah. With her father in prison, Parvana has to dress as a boy to buy food and earn money for the family. Her writer mother is beaten for being in the streets without a male chaperon. Parvana is befriended by Shauzia, another girl who dresses as a boy and mentors her in the ways of the streets. To please her little brother, she tells him stories about a young boy on a quest against the Elephant King.The animation is beautiful. The story is compelling. Parvana is an empathetic character in a real apocalyptic world. The fantasy tale is slow at first but it pays off by intertwining with her real world story. There is a real intensity in the build up and in the climatic reveal. The only drawback is that I hoped for a real Parvana to tell her own story. No matter how sincere the writing and how well the telling, it is in the end a second hand tale.

I enjoyed this a lot. It is a cartoon version of Osama. I'm not sure it was meant to be, though. If you watch both you can see the similarities and differences. The violence and hatred towards women is shown in The Breadwinner but in a way that isn't as graphic or realistic as in Osama. Because there is violence I don't recommend it for kids younger than 10. I'm actually confused as who the desired audience is. If it's not for kids, then why not show the absolutely horror tht is the Taleban? If it is for kids then why not make it a bit less frightening?