Review: The Breadwinner, 2017, dir. Nora Twomey

I could do with a new Cartoon Saloon film every couple of years or so, ideally more often than that, but it’s animation, what are you gonna do; besides, the movies this studio knocks out are always worth the wait. Back in 2014, I reviewed Song of the Sea. This year, I reviewed The Breadwinner, a very different movie from Song of the Sea and its predecessor, The Secret of Kells, and yet the three share a kinship despite obvious differences. 

Of late, I’m finding that I can’t help tying social events and moments in pop culture into the criticism I write about the movies and television that I see, so let me just point out that The Breadwinner doesn’t have anything direct to say about the tidal wave of harassment allegations rolling over Hollywood and, hopefully, American politics, But it still says something about those allegations, even if by accident. It’s a wonder on its own merits, of course, the tale of a young girl living in Kabul who is forced to pretend to be a boy to feed her family when the Taliban arrest her dad; I recommend it. Strongly. I gave it a pretty damn high score in my review for Paste Magazine, if that tells you anything.

 

 

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