The Breadwinner

“It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor/ Or if you’re smart or dumb/ A woman’s place in this old world/ Is under some man’s thumb.” Sandy Posey sang it, a good portion of the world practices it! The only reason to bring religion into the running of the state is to impose a specific belief on others, usually women as in Afghanistan, a society ruled by religious functionaries in 2001. Parvana, an 11-year-old girl living under the Taliban, has to assume the identity of a boy once her father is arrested and jailed, if her family is to survive. While trying to contact him, her mother is beaten for being outside without proper accompaniment, but things change when Parvana meets a friend also impersonating a boy! This animated feature may not be Persepolis but from executive producer Angelina Jolie and those who made Song of the Sea, director Nora Twomey reveals the constant struggle between honorable living and treatment under this brutal regime.