#now I NEED to see the cartoon saloon adaptation these designs are PERFECT

[scrawnydutchman]

‘The Breadwinner’ Movie Review (Spoiler Free)

It has been too damn long since I’ve put together a film review for this blog, due mostly to the fact that it’s been too long since I’ve seen a film. I’ve been a busy bee as of late and my year is only expected to get busier. As a result I missed out on a TON of great animation from 2017. I still haven’t seen Loving Vincent, I still haven’t seen Don Hertzfeldt’s new film, you get the idea. But I HAVE found the time to see the latest film in the repertoire of Cartoon Saloon, the Irish studio behind such phenomenal work as The Secret of Kells and my favorite film The Song of the Sea. That said . . . The Breadwinner may very well take The Song of the Sea’s place. What can I say except Cartoon Saloon does it again! Based on the book of the same name (otherwise known as Parvana), This film does everything Cartoon Saloon always does masterfully with a take on a culture they haven’t adapted yet. Wonderful composition, elegant hand drawn frame by frame animation, effective colour, wonderful voice acting, heart wrenching drama and clever experimentation await you in this masterpiece of 2017.

PLOT SYNOPSIS & CRITIQUE:

Parvana is an eleven year old little girl living in early 2000s Afghanistan under the complete control of the Taliban. She lives with her ill mother, her argumentative older sister, her adorable little brother and her kindhearted father in poor conditions, but together they are complete. Things change though when her father is placed under arrest and taken away by the Taliban. With no man old enough to earn the family food and water, Parvana has the idea of disguising as a boy to get what she needs for her families survival and goes on a venture to find and save her father. Will she be able to reunite her family in spite of all odds?

This film really puts you in the shoes of this little girl and her family in such a desperate situation and it is both parts disturbing and enchanting. A good chunk of this film is just her life trying to gather food and water without getting into trouble and along the way you see imagery of desperate mothers trying to defend themselves and their children and abusive older men cheating and overpowering children. Even though the camera pans away from a great deal of the violence and the effect is shown through reaction shots it’s pretty disturbing. I’d maybe shy away from showing this film to very young kids; maybe only show them at the age of 10 years old or something. The climax of this film is ESPECIALLY powerful and heart wrenching; I don’t dare spoil it but I can easily say it absolutely floored me. On the flipside, Cartoon Saloon manages to use their signature storytelling methods to give an otherwise gloomy story a necessary dosage of enchantment. A great aspect of this film is an ongoing story being told by Parvana to different people along her adventure, told sort of like a myth or a folktale that really integrates some culture. Much like the mythological edge of Song of the Sea the story mirrors the events of the main plot in an indirect way. It’s brilliantly subtle and creative and The Breadwinner executes it with nuances in character action and stunningly executed imagery. Speaking of the visuals . . .

ANIMATION & DESIGN CRITIQUE:

When talking about a Cartoon Saloon production, can you expect anything short of breathtaking? Frame by frame traditional animation has become something of a taboo subject in recent years in that many will claim it’s the “black and white” of animation. 3D animation seems to be more desirable by the general public and whenever 2D happens you’re more likely to expect rigged cutout animation on TV as it’s more efficient and cost effective. That being said, The Breadwinner proves that in spite of all these claims the beauty and shear majesty of a good hand drawn animated film will never fade. This film will last because it’s subtle movements and charming design are a sight for anyone to behold. Perhaps the most impressive thing to me about this film is just how on model every character is all the time. I watched through this film deliberately looking for inconsistencies after a certain point and don’t think I found any. I’m a hand drawn animator myself so I know what to look for. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD IT IS TO KEEP HAND DRAWN ANIMATION ON MODEL, ESPECIALLY WITH MOVEMENT AS SLOW AND AS SUBTLE AS THIS??? I think part of what makes this more practical to achieve is  Cartoon Saloons simple but beautiful approach to character design. Heads are large spherical shapes so their expressions are visible even from a distance. Their noses are only a few lines at the time and make for perfect symmetry in their faces. Many of the men and women in this film are modeled similarly so alternating from model to model is a simple transition. Turthfully for how crisp and manageable Cartoon Saloons designs are I think they’re definitely worth studying when it comes to developing your own look for a show. Their backgrounds and frame composition are excellent too. They always have such a high amount of depth and pop in colour; I could snapshot every frame of this movie and hang it in my house as art. Not to mention a lot of these choices serve as a symbolic callback to returning themes of the film. The choices made for the movies visuals are simply wonderful; I could go on forever.

Now, remember when I said this film had an aspect of mirroring the main plot with a sort of mythological children’s tale? Well, that part of the film has a completely different animation style to it than the main plot. Rather than traditional animation it takes on a paper puppet cutout aesthetic; similar to the works of Lotte Reineger (in fact I think one part of this film straight up homages it but I could be wrong). This aesthetic is charming and as well executed as the rest of the film and REALLY implores some clever methods of showcasing things like rain and clouds. This film is eye candy from beginning to end.

Voice Acting & Character Critique

Those of you reading who are advocates of an ethnically accurate cast for a film centered around one culture will be pleased to know that everyone in this film is authentically Afghan and that every character does a fantastic job in executing their character. Saara Chaudry plays a compassionate but brave Parvana and does an excellent job carrying this movie. Ali Badshah plays a gentle and eloquent father and instantly wins the viewers affection despite his limited screentime. Soma Chhaya plays a streetwise Shauzia who makes a great foil and partner for Parvana. Kawa Ada plays Razaq, a Taliban soldier who has a good heart despite his alignment and quickly became among my favorite characters after his little arc. I could go on and on, but truthfully my comments are the same everytime; this entire cast is amazing. But one particular character and performance stands out in my mind among all others. Laara Sadiq as the mother, Fattema. Throughout the film she’s a sickly and weak mother, but within the climax .  . . .. HOOOOOOLY SHIT does she get one of the most suspenseful and exciting scenes. I don’t dare spoil it but man, it’s the highlight of the movie for me. Those who have seen it probably know what I’m talking about. 

Music & Sound Critique

To be honest, I’m always not very sure what to say about this section. Even the worst movies I review in my blog tend to be serviceable at the very least in this category. The Breadwinner, however, once again succeeds. The movie has a culture even deeper enriched by it’s soundtrack of middle eastern instrumentals and it effectively immerses the viewer in the environment. Whenever a scary moment happens in this film the sound effects and music are perfectly mixed in such a way that almost assaults the senses (in a good way). The sound always beautifully coincides the visuals and further amplifies the beauty of each reoccurring symbol.

Conclusion

The Breadwinner  is a visual marvel you absolutely cannot afford to miss out on. Everything about it from the beautiful designs to the clever use of symbolism to the engaging story (ESPECIALLY the climax) is something that must be seen to be believed. This film frankly should have won best animated feature for it’s year. I know that Pixar always wins it because the Academy is uneducated as shit, but . . . MAN does this film need to be talked about more. All well. Cartoon Saloon always recieves a nomination for their films and that’s a strong presence for a team keeping 2D animation alive. For that I am thankful. Go check this out; you won’t be disappointed.

Plot: 1/1

Visuals: 1/1

Characters & Performance: 1/1

Music & Sound Design: 1/1

Overall: 4 out of 4. A Masterpiece.