The Breadwinner (2017)

Cartoon Saloon have a very small filmography to their name, but their two previous works, The Secret Of Kells and Song Of The Sea, have stood out to me as fantastic films with genuine artistic merit. They show that sometimes the best animated films can come from the small, independent companies (which is why my two favourite animation studios are Cartoon Saloon and LAIKA), and when I heard that they were returning for another film, I was of course firmly hyped to see what they would come up with.

The Breadwinner departs from the studio's repertoire of fantasy films that dabble in Irish folklore (the company is Ireland-based, if you didn't know) and presents a story about a family living in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, and it leaves no stone unturned to present the horrors of living in a country dictated by the movement. It even opens the viewers' eyes to some of the strict laws that the citizens have to abide with: for example, I didn't know that a woman, whether adult or child, cannot leave the house without a male member. It makes you think about the current situation in the world, but never diverts you from the story.

The story itself is surpringly simplistic, but is strengthened and enriched by the relationships between our main characters. The central premise is that a young girl named Parvan is left without a father or a male relative in her family, after her father is unfairly arrested. Working to resolve the issue of fending for her family, she decides to cross dress as a boy to retrieve food and water, as well as aiming to get her father out of prison.

Like I said, it sounds rather straightforward, and it is, but the characters that she meets contribute so much to making her scenario feel more real - she meets Shauzia, a young girl who is doing the same thing as her, and an illiterate man who she teaches to read and write in exchange for him helping her free her father.

This richness of the characterisation and the story makes the film feel long, even though it's only 90 minutes, but this is one of the rare instances where it feels long for the right reasons. By making it the typical length for an animated children's film, Cartoon Saloon show us what 90 minutes can do when given the right story - instead of modern movies that are filled with dumb slapstick and surface level storylines, this studio reminds us that 90 minutes is enough to deliver a quality story and characters, while also being emotionally resonant and really packing a punch with its audience.

The fact that this film is also rated 12A rather than the usual U/PG certificate means that this film can really delve deep into the harsh reality of war and terrorism-torn Afganhistan in the current time - its a great animated film and a political statement. Now that's not an easy feat to pull off.

Despite the seriousness, the film's moments of escapism and fun come in the stories that Parvaan tells her little brother. The animation style here is very different to what Cartoon Saloon are known from (more on that in a minute), and while it's undoubtedly far-fetched and silly, they are still relevant sequences. They draw parallels to Parvaan's real-life struggles, and even the end of the film confirms this. I won't get into spoilers, as I implore you to seek this movie out yourself and give it a shot without me ruining anything, but it's really smart how they tie the storylines together.

Finally before I conclude, I want to discuss the innovative animation. It's Cartoon Saloon's trademark style, and I don't exactly know to describe it, but it's basically vivid and colourful 2D animation glazed with a computer sheen, and a distortion of perspective. That's the basics of it, but it's so much more than that. The shapes, the textures, the environments, all come together to create some simply masterful animation. Cartoon Saloon, you are incredibly talented in your craft and I beg you to continue.

Cartoon Saloon's films only come along every once and a while, but when they do they are guaranteed to be amazing, and The Breadwinner only continues this reputation - in fact, it might be their best work to date. It's an eye-opening experience that translates the horrors of the Afganhistan conflicts into an engaging and powerful story with some characters that you really care about, and their world is realised with some marvellous animation that makes you wonder why 2D animated films are not still thriving.

Please go and give this film a try, and let me tell you this: if you have never heard of Cartoon Saloon and their filmography, then you are missing out on some of the most talented and skilled studios in the industry, and why they haven't escaped into the mainstream yet I have no idea. Expect highly enjoyable and thought-provoking animation, and you will get it.