Isabelle, #offcampusartnews, reviews the animated film #Parvana

For a long while, a film called The Breadwinner has been under my radar. I hadn’t had the chance to watch it until recently, and I was absolutely impressed by the storytelling, animation, and themes.

The Breadwinner is about a family in Afghanistan who are doing their best to survive during the Taliban’s rule in 2001. Women must be accompanied by men at all times and properly covered, or else serious repercussions will follow. The main protagonist, Parvana, has to step up to provide for her family after her father is arrested under false pretences. She and her mother attempt to go to the prison where he is being kept, however, they cannot leave the house, buy food, or be helped without the presence of a man. In retaliation, Parvana cuts her hair and wears her deceased brother’s clothes so her family can survive. The story continues from there and involves the trials and tribulations Parvana faces trying to keep her family afloat, hide her identity, and rescue her father.

One thing that is not often discussed about the film is the storybook aspects of it. Parvana’s parents are educated; her father is a teacher, and her mother is a writer. To distract the family and characters from their unfortunate circumstances, they turn to stories from their culture. Throughout the movie, Parvana recalls the story of a boy who takes on the task of retrieving his village’s stolen wheat supply after monsters had ravaged their land. This boy’s story parallels Parvana’s experiences throughout the film.

Besides the engaging and depressing story, the animation within this film is beautifully smooth and stylistic. During the storybook portions, a lineless art style is used to mimic pieces of cut-out paper being strung and moved together to animate the characters.

I highly suggest you watch this film. The issues discussed and depicted are still ongoing to this day within Afghanistan and other Middle Eastern countries. It gives a lot of insight into the struggles of other people around the world.