The Breadwinner (2017)

Though everyone knows Coco is going to win, there are some darn good animated films nominated at the Oscars this year and The Breadwinner is one of them. It's not as good as Coco or Loving Vincent, but it still is a well done and definitely deserves to be watched by more people.

The Breadwinner tells the story of Parvana (Saara Chaudry), an 11-year-old girl growing up under Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. After her father (Ali Badshah) is unjustly arrested, she must cut her hair and dress as a boy so that she can provide for her mother (Laara Sadiq), her sister (Shaista Latif) and her younger brother. 

It's based on Deborah Ellis's best-selling novel of the same name (another book I haven't read and don't think I'll ever read) and it's a very interesting and quite powerful story that shows, through the eyes of a young girl, what's like growing up in a war-torn country, and what's like for a woman living in places such as Taliban-controlled Afganistan, where women can't even leave the house without a man.

But the film doesn't only addresses sexism and war, and highlight the struggles of young Parvana and her family, it also portrays the friendship between Parvana and Shauzia, a girl her age who too has to dress like a boy to provide for her family. They don't share the same background --while Parvana comes from a happy home, Shauzia has an abusive father-- but they share a dream. Also, this is a quite accurate portrayal of female friendship.

What's nice about the story and the film is that the characters we are following and rooting for are all women or girls, and they all are compelling and complex characters that grab you right from the start and never let you go. And the voice actors, though they aren't perfect, truly bring them to life. 

One of The Breadwinner's strengths is the humour. It's not of the laughing-out-loud type, but it's so nicely delivered and makes the film less hard to watch --and less sentimental, but I'm not sure that's on the humour. 

And then there's the animation. It's simple but beautiful and I loved the way it changes between Parvana's real life and the story she tells.