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A powerful, emotionally disciplined animated drama that uses a child’s-eye perspective to make life under Taliban rule feel immediate and devastating. Its hand-drawn style, restraint, and moral clarity give the story unusual force, making it one of the standout animated films of its era.
Where to watch: Buy
Fri · 1h 34m
Director: Nora Twomey
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Bhatia, Noorin Gulamgaus
A headstrong young girl in Afghanistan, ruled by the Taliban, disguises herself as a boy in order to provide for her family.
Nora Twomey
Saara Chaudry, Soma Bhatia, Noorin Gulamgaus
A powerful, emotionally disciplined animated drama that uses a child’s-eye perspective to make life under Taliban rule feel immediate and devastating. Its hand-drawn style, restraint, and moral clarity give the story unusual force, making it one of the standout animated films of its era.
The Breadwinner is one of those rare animated films that feels both intimate and urgent. By centering a young girl forced to disguise herself as a boy in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, it turns survival into a daily act of imagination, courage, and improvisation. The film never softens the danger, but it also never loses sight of the tenderness that keeps a family alive.
What makes it especially affecting is the balance between harsh realism and vivid storytelling. The animation gives the world a fragile, storybook beauty, which only sharpens the brutality of what Parvana faces. That contrast is the film’s great strength: it refuses to treat suffering as spectacle, yet still finds room for hope, memory, and resilience.
This is not an easy watch, but it is a deeply rewarding one. It stands as a reminder that animation can carry political weight and emotional gravity without losing its humanity. For viewers open to serious, beautifully crafted drama, it’s essential.
lauren (3.5★) · 1461 likes
hey academy, why would you put this in the same category as......the boss baby?....
gabriel (4.5★) · 1388 likes
Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that makes the flowers grow, not thunder. Through its refreshing 2D animation style, The Breadwinner takes us on an emotional and striking journey through a story we wish was only fiction. I'm beyond words. The Breadwinner is harsh, violent and, most of all, real. It doesn't lie about what happens, it doesn't disguise the disrespect towards women or the lack of human rights that, unfortunately, haunts today's landscape and that is… more
oppie (4.5★) · 1210 likes
My name is Sulayman. My mother is a writer, my father is a teacher, and my sisters always fight each other. One day I found a toy on the street. I picked it up, and it exploded. I don't remember what happened after that. Because it was the end.
James (Schaffrillas) (4★) · 1082 likes
Damn these Cartoon Saloon movies for being insanely good and flying under my radar for the past decade
anthony (4.5★) · 509 likes
the fact that boss baby was nominated alongside this beautiful gem is downright insulting
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female resilience, coming of age, war and occupation, authoritarian oppression, family survival, identity and disguise, storytelling as resistance, human rights
animated drama, 2D animation, war-time survival, female-led, coming-of-age, political oppression, human rights, emotional, serious tone, international cinema