LogFAQs > #900759001

6. The Breadwinner

Snake: 3
Genny: 4
charon: 7
Johnbobb: 7
red: 7
Inviso: 9
scarlet: 9
JONA: 10
Karo: 11
Ermine: 13
Stifled: 19

Snake: Very similar to Persepolis in lots of ways. Politically charged, emotionally punch-packing events. This story shows the effects of war, fundamentalist religion and poverty and how it affects a Muslim family living in Kabul. I felt more knowledgable about Afghani culture after watching it and felt personally enriched by this film.

Genny: Given that this very studio has produced two of my all-time favorite animated films of all time, I had high hopes for The Breadwinner. As you can see by my ranking I was not terribly disappointed. However gone are the whimsical Celtic faeries and Irish wisps. Here you'll find mostly harsh realities in a world so far removed from my own yet one that I'm forced to accept exists. I am pretty sure at one point while we were watching this I leaned over to Jason and said, "God I HATE the Taliban!" as if I could ever even began to imagine the oppression of living under that regime. Damn this movie inspires some powerful emotion! It's mostly negative- rage, sorrow, indignation- but there's hope there as well. I love that the movie doesn't end on a completely happy note as that wouldn't be true to its overarching theme. Sure the family is all safe for now due to the sacrifices of certain characters, but they're separated. Will they find their way back to each other? Will they survive the war? Who knows?

charon: A poignant look at a modern day crisis, this is a unique offering from our friends at Cartoon Saloon. Their work so far has been phenomenal, and I'm just glad they're able to exist despite not receiving nearly enough commerical acclaim. We were able to watch two films that featured this all too familiar issue in our society today; the stranglehold oppressive governments acting in the name of a religion exert over their people. Filled with characters you will actually care about, The Breadwinner really grips and moves you many times throughout the course of watching it. From Fattema's brutal beating, which by the way was probably the hardest scene to watch in the film since I really thought at the time she had been beaten to death, to the kindly Razaq who befriends Parvana after she helps him. It's good to see the just and the evil in this landscape, since it humanizes this part of the world for the rest of us who probably can easily be led to believe everyone that lives in this place is as evil as the Taliban is in this film. I placed this film on the project as the final entrant; I believed in the studio behind it to wow this group, and I think it did for me and should for others.

Johnbobb: First off, I just want to say I LOVE the trope of alternate animation styles in movies to show things like flashbacks, dreams, or in this case, stories. Its becoming more and more popular (to the point that Harry Potter even did it) but it never ceases to be effective. I feel like The Breadwinner is in danger of being shoehorned as just another foreign animated film nominated solely to make the academy seem like they care, before being forgotten about after Disney inevitably wins. If/when that happens, itll be a damn shame, because this is an incredible movie. Gorgeous animation, lovable characters, and a powerful story. Its a tale that digs deep but still offers the tiniest bit of protection from reality: just enough to keep you watching through the hard parts.
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Truly smilin'