The Breadwinner (2017)

Nice to have finally seen a second Best Animated Feature nominee for the year. It had also been a while since I last saw an entire movie streaming on Netflix. Now I have an idea of what it takes to get me back in the habit.

From the beginning, things look bad for the Afghani family of preteen Parvana: They're trying to sell "the only thing of value" they have left. It gets worse when the Taliban arrests her father, Nurullah. With her older brother Sulayman dead, her younger brother Zaki still a baby, and no other male relatives in town, there is no legal option for anyone left in the household to go out in public. Parvana has her hair cut short, dresses as a boy, and works odd jobs. And despite her mother's admonition to give up hope, she plans to secure Nurullah's release one way or another.

Man, if this story is as realistic as it appears, then the Taliban is even worse than I thought, and not just to the female sector of the population. Soldiers show no sympathy toward Nurullah for having lost a leg in the service of their side of the last war. They would rather have women and children die of famine or thirst than "tempt" men, and any woman caught alone on the street gets beaten. To be fair, one guy seems to be bringing the worst of it, but the rest don't object. Parvana doesn't even get much respect as a boy.

Not the most family-friendly subject, is it? Yet it could have been worse. If Parvana were a year or two older, I'd expect something like a more serious version of Yentl. Instead, hardly anyone entertains the idea of her courting or marrying yet. Few characters catch on to her secret, of course, and most are thankfully sympathetic -- including another disguised girl who already knew Parvana and could supply advice, however inexpert.

On the kiddier side, Parvana frequently goes into a fairy tale, initially to appease Zaki but later continuing where she left off for whoever will listen. These segments are illustrated with paper cutouts in stop motion instead of the usual cel animation. It starts out cute and a little funny yet hackneyed and seemingly irrelevant to the rest of the story. Toward the end, however, it takes on a new significance: coming to grips with the loss of Sulayman and perhaps gaining peace and/or courage in the process. It's not clear to me when she started making it up as she went along.

There is a heartwarming side to this hellhole, especially when a gentleman to whom Parvana reads a letter (not the kind of paid service you'd see in the First World) becomes a strong ally. But while the story ends on a happy note, to call it a happy ending is a stretch. Without giving too much away, the only thing that might be better for the family than it was in the beginning is their financial situation -- because Parvana's older sister is having an arranged marriage. No character doubts the wisdom or ethics of this move, except insofar as it might mean they have to move before seeing Nurullah again.

TB gets a PG-13 for occasional violence. I don't recommend showing it to anyone younger than Parvana's maybe 11 years. But while it isn't fun like other Cartoon Saloon entries, it gets a lot of  respect from me. I can see why some viewers would have chosen it over Coco.