--- title: "The Breadwinner" year: 2017 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-breadwinner-2017" fi1m_score: 84 critics_score: 81 critics_reviews: 19 published: "2026-09-17T07:16:54.048027+00:00" updated: "2026-09-17T07:16:54.481678+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Breadwinner (2017) Directed by Nora Twomey · 1h 34m · MPA PG-13 · Animation, War, Drama **Fi1m score: 84** · Critics 81 from 19 reviews *In a sentence:* Nobody should need a disguise to do the shopping > Nora Twomey’s animated drama is moving and frightening, with Saara Chaudry giving its young heroine a stubborn, believable voice. Some awkward shifts into fantasy interrupt the daily struggle to feed her family. ## Synopsis In Taliban-controlled Kabul, eleven-year-old Parvana (Saara Chaudry) tries to support her family after her father is imprisoned. She dresses as a boy so that she can go out, earn money and find food, while also hoping to help her father. The people around her include Shauzia (Soma Chhaya) and Nurullah (Ali Rizvi Badshah), whose daily lives are also governed by the regime. As Parvana works to keep the household fed and her disguise concealed, she tells stories that lead away from Kabul into a separate world of folklore. ## Review Nora Twomey’s *The Breadwinner* is a humane, unsettling animated drama, and we recommend it with one reservation about its shifts into fantasy. Its immediate business is food: Parvana must support her family under Taliban rule, dressing as a boy to do it. The director keeps those restrictions close enough to understand through a child’s day, and gives Parvana practical problems that cannot wait for a fairer government. Her need to keep the household fed determines where the story goes. Anita Doron’s screenplay gives Parvana room to be resourceful without making her indestructible. With her father imprisoned, feeding the household becomes a child’s responsibility, and Saara Chaudry gives her voice enough firmness to make that terrible arrangement seem briefly workable. We were frightened for her when finding food depended on being taken for a boy. An ordinary encounter carries the risk of discovery, and the performance lets us hear the effort involved in getting on with things. Sheldon Lisoy’s cinematography keeps the Kabul passages clear and legible, with dusty colour and simple lines that leave the characters’ expressions easy to read. The drawings do not soften the threat of violence, because the faces show enough fear for us to understand what is at stake. There is no need to explain every feeling in dialogue. That restraint makes the violence bearable to watch without making it seem harmless. The storytelling passages let the animation become more elaborate, with folklore taking its place alongside the routines of survival. The change from the simpler drawing of daily life is clear, and the film does not need to stop and explain it. These sequences make sense for a child trying to imagine beyond the conditions around her. They also keep the film from becoming a procession of injuries, each presented to prove the same point about cruelty. The difficulty is getting back and forth. Darragh Byrne’s editing generally makes the two strands easy to follow, but some returns to the fables arrive just as Parvana’s immediate problems have become absorbing. We occasionally wanted to stay with her and finish the task at hand. The screenplay gives the storytelling enough significance that it cannot simply be treated as a breather, yet its separate demands can make the narrative feel busier than it needs to be. Mychael Danna and Jeff Danna’s music supplies warmth without insisting that everything will be all right. Its optimism is useful: a film about a child finding a way through terror needs to allow for her energy as well as her fear. The supporting voices have a similar steadiness, with Soma Chhaya as Shauzia helping to keep the dialogue conversational. The actors sound alert to one another, which helps when the script has a great deal to get across. Animation is often asked to make frightening subjects easier for children, a demand this film answers carefully. The simple drawing helps us understand what is happening; the restrictions themselves remain appalling. At 94 minutes, it asks for sustained attention, and its 12A certificate is worth taking seriously. For older children, allow time afterwards to talk about why Parvana needs a disguise to do something as ordinary as buying food. *Fi1m score 84, published 17 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics respond warmly to The Breadwinner, praising its account of an Afghan girl supporting her family under Taliban rule. The animation draws particular approval for combining the detail of daily life with expressive, storybook-style fantasy. Reviews repeatedly credit the film with making cruelty and oppression comprehensible through a child’s perspective without softening their seriousness. Parvana’s resourcefulness and emotional depth, the voice performances and the attention to Afghan culture also attract praise, while storytelling itself is widely seen as a convincing source of resilience. The spread is broad, but dissent is isolated: eighteen of the nineteen reviews are positive. RogerEbert.com admires the heroine and visuals while finding some subplots clumsy and the pacing uneven. Slant Magazine supplies the sole negative assessment, arguing that the disguise receives too little emotional exploration and finding the embedded fables uninteresting—the same sequences that many other critics regard as central to the film’s achievement. ### Reviews we read (19) - **Time Out**, Phil de Semlyen (5/5): The critic praises the film as a must-see animation that tackles cruelty, injustice and misogyny while remaining suitable for families. The power of storytelling as escape and resilience is singled out for particular praise. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-breadwinner) - **Empire**, Ian Freer (90/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a sublime, heartfelt animated drama that contrasts sharply with formulaic Hollywood animation. Twomey is praised for her skillful blend of gritty realism and fantastical storytelling elements that highlight the power of narrative amid oppression. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/breadwinner-review/) - **IndieWire**, David Ehrlich (90/100, inferred): The review hails the film as the best animated feature of 2017, describing it as a gorgeous and sobering fable about systemic misogyny that showcases the power of animation. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/the-breadwinner-review-angelina-jolie-cartoon-saloon-1201898516/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (90/100, inferred): This striking and affecting animated film reminds viewers that animation can be every bit as much a medium for adults as for children. The critic highlights its vivid sense of a specific culture and gift for strikingly beautiful visuals in dusty Kabul. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-the-breadwinner-review-20171116-story.html) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, THR Staff (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's vibrant yet harrowing portrayal of an Afghan girl's resilience under Taliban rule, noting how it maintains a child's perspective while blending brutal realities with enchanting storytelling. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/breadwinner-1050280/) - **The Times**, Ed Potton (★★★★☆): An elegant animation about an Afghan girl who poses as a boy to feed her family under the Taliban, tackling difficult subjects with devastating economy and beauty. It renders bigotry, beatings and bombs in a way that is disturbing without being damaging, with echoes of Persepolis. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/film-review-the-breadwinner-pgvqw7l95) - **Variety**, Peter Debruge (90/100, inferred): This powerful animated film serves as an appeal for women’s rights and a celebration of the creative spirit in its story of an Afghan girl supporting her family. The critic praises its empathetic look at the plight of women and the essential optimism conveyed through the heroine and score. [Read](https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/the-breadwinner-review-1202606241/) - **The Guardian** (85/100, inferred): The film is a magical adaptation of Deborah Ellis’s novel about an 11-year-old girl who disguises herself as a boy to support her family under Taliban rule in Kabul. It blends realistic animation of daily life with fantastical storytelling sequences, praising the resilient young heroine, cultural authenticity, and the director’s debut feature. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/may/27/the-breadwinner-review-nora-twomey-deborah-ellis-kabul) - **Little White Lies**, David Jenkins (4/4/4): The film is hailed as a moving and fiery takedown of fundamentalism and oppression that confirms Cartoon Saloon as a world-class animation studio. The blend of social realism with folkloric elements and its plea for cultural evolution are highlighted positively. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-breadwinner) - **Radio Times**, Victoria Luxford (4/5): This is described as an accomplished animated drama that elevates the genre beyond mere entertainment through its layered storytelling. The superb animation, ambient sound, vocal performances and gentle handling of harsh realities like grief and oppression are praised. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-jb42h2/the-breadwinner/) - **The Telegraph** (4/5): Fantasy and reality collide in this animated tale of a girl in Taliban-controlled Kabul who poses as a boy to save her imprisoned father. The film vividly conveys the regime’s brutality through impressive animation while interweaving a visionary fantasy sequence in its powerful finale. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/breadwinner-review-fantasy-reality-collide-visionary-look-life/) - **Financial Times**, Nigel Andrews (★★★★☆): A childlike but harrowing animated feature set in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, following an 11-year-old girl who becomes the breadwinner by dressing as a boy. Its power lies in the simplicity of colours and line-drawing, vivid storytelling, and gorgeous surreal fantasy sequences within the film. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/8de69436-5e7d-11e8-9334-2218e7146b04) - **RogerEbert.com**, Peter Sobczynski (70/100, inferred): The film is an ambitious but occasionally uneven animated story of a young Afghan girl who disguises herself as a boy to support her family under Taliban rule. The critic praises its visual impressiveness and the sympathetic, compelling heroine while noting narrative clunkiness in subplots and pacing. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-breadwinner-2017) - **The New York Times**, Glenn Kenny (NYT Critic’s Pick): The animated film is worth celebrating as a work that qualifies in some ways as reportage on life under Taliban rule in Afghanistan. The critic singles out the director’s nuanced characterization and action along with the strong voice cast. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/16/movies/the-breadwinner-review.html) - **Slant Magazine**, Diego Semerene (1/4): The critic faults the film for treating cross-dressing merely as a pragmatic plot device without exploring its subjective or emotional consequences for the protagonist, and finds the embedded fables uninteresting. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-breadwinner/) - **The Skinny**, Ross McIndoe (★★★★★): The critic praises the film's powerful balance between the cuteness and colour of its animation and the grim realities of life in war-torn Afghanistan. They single out the depth of expression in the characters and the inventive storybook-style sections for particular praise. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/the-breadwinner) - **Paste**, Andy Crump (9.0): The critic finds the film timely and artistically assured, praising its cel-shaded animation and the story of a young Afghan girl who disguises herself as a boy to support her family under Taliban rule. Parvana's strength and the film's cultural scope are highlighted as standout elements. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/the-breadwinner/the-breadwinner) - **The Wrap**, Steve Pond (85/100, inferred): The critic finds it a beautifully rendered animated film with a powerful story that stands out and could contend for Oscars. They single out the integration of Parvana's storytelling sequences with the main narrative as a glorious demonstration of the power of myth and truth. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/breadwinner-toronto-review-vibrant-animated-movie-may-force-oscar-attention/) - **Eye for Film**, Jennie Kermode (80/100, inferred): The critic calls the film intelligent, humane and multi-layered, praising it as a substantial work that goes beyond its heroic narrative. They single out its portrayal of the depth and richness of Afghan culture and Parvana as an emotionally complex heroine. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-breadwinner-2017-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) ## Details - **Director:** Nora Twomey - **Director:** Nora Twomey - **Screenplay:** Anita Doron - **Cinematography:** Sheldon Lisoy - **Editor:** Darragh Byrne - **Music:** Mychael Danna, Jeff Danna - **Producer:** Anthony Leo, Andrew Rosen, Tomm Moore - **Cast:** Saara Chaudry as Parvana (voice); Soma Chhaya as Shauzia (voice); Noorin Gulamgaus as Idrees / Sulayman (voice); Laara Sadiq as Fattema / Old Woman (voice); Ali Rizvi Badshah as Nurullah / Talib Security Man (voice); Shaista Latif as Soraya (voice); Kanza Feris as Old Woman / Woman in Courtyard (voice); Kawa Ada as Razaq (voice) - **Runtime:** 1h 34m - **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13 - **Release (the US):** 17 November 2017 - **Genres:** Animation, War, Drama - **Box office:** $3 million ## Where to watch in the US - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, hd - Apple TV: buy $14.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-17.* Also available in: AE, AR, BR, CA, CL, CO, FR, GB, IE, MX, PA, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film 2019: European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film (nominated) - Academy Awards 2018: Best Animated Feature (nominated) - Annecy Cristal for a Feature Film 2018: Annecy Cristal for a Feature Film (nominated) - European Film Award for Best Animated Feature Film 2018: European Film Award for Best Animated Feature Film (nominated) - Critics' Choice Awards 2017: Best Animated Feature (nominated) ## If you liked this - *Persepolis* (2007), Fi1m 87: Another girl’s view of repression, with sharper humour and equally expressive drawing. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/persepolis.md) - *Wadjda* (2012): A girl’s desire for a bicycle exposes the rules governing her everyday life. - *Where Is the Friend's House?* (1987): A child’s practical errand becomes urgent drama without adults quite noticing why. - *In This Corner of the World* (2016): Wartime survival measured through household routines, with animation attentive to small losses. - *The Secret of Kells* (2009), Fi1m 76: For the folklore and expressive drawing, with wonder given more room. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-secret-of-kells.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-breadwinner-2017