--- title: "The Breadwinner: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-breadwinner-2017/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-breadwinner-2017" critics_score: 81 critics_reviews: 19 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): what the critics said Critics' score 81 from 19 reviews: 18 positive, 0 mixed, 1 negative. 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. ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 5/5. 22 May 2018. 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 the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-breadwinner) ## Empire — Ian Freer Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 18 May 2018. 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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/breadwinner-review/) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 17 November 2017. 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 the review](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/the-breadwinner-review-angelina-jolie-cartoon-saloon-1201898516/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 17 November 2017. 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 the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-the-breadwinner-review-20171116-story.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — THR Staff Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 October 2017. 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 the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/breadwinner-1050280/) ## The Times — Ed Potton Rating ★★★★☆. 24 May 2018. 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 the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/film-review-the-breadwinner-pgvqw7l95) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 November 2017. 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 the review](https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/the-breadwinner-review-1202606241/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 27 May 2018. 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 the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/may/27/the-breadwinner-review-nora-twomey-deborah-ellis-kabul) ## Little White Lies — David Jenkins Rating 4/4/4. 24 May 2018. 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 the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-breadwinner) ## Radio Times — Victoria Luxford Rating 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 the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-jb42h2/the-breadwinner/) ## The Telegraph Rating 4/5. 24 May 2018. 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 the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/breadwinner-review-fantasy-reality-collide-visionary-look-life/) ## Financial Times — Nigel Andrews Rating ★★★★☆. 23 May 2018. 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 the review](https://www.ft.com/content/8de69436-5e7d-11e8-9334-2218e7146b04) ## RogerEbert.com — Peter Sobczynski Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 17 November 2017. 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 the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-breadwinner-2017) ## The New York Times — Glenn Kenny Rating NYT Critic’s Pick. 16 November 2017. 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 the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/16/movies/the-breadwinner-review.html) ## Slant Magazine — Diego Semerene Rating 1/4. 15 November 2017. 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 the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-breadwinner/) ## The Skinny — Ross McIndoe Rating ★★★★★. 27 February 2018. 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 the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/the-breadwinner) ## Paste — Andy Crump Rating 9.0. 20 November 2017. 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 the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/the-breadwinner/the-breadwinner) ## The Wrap — Steve Pond Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2017. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.thewrap.com/breadwinner-toronto-review-vibrant-animated-movie-may-force-oscar-attention/) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 28 November 2017. 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 the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-breadwinner-2017-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-breadwinner-2017.md