The Breadwinner (2017)
Parvana is an 11-year-old girl who lives in Kabul under the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001). Her father, Nurullah, is a former school teacher who became a hawker after losing his left leg in the Soviet–Afghan War. One day, during supper, he is unjustly arrested after a volatile young member of the Taliban, Idrees, thinks he insulted him earlier while the two were selling goods in the market. Because the Taliban forbids women from going out without a male relative, Parvana’s family is left without the means to support themselves, as her elder brother Sulayman died years ago, leaving her, her mother Fattema, her elder sister Soraya, and her youngest brother Zaki.
When Parvana and her mother try to go to the prison to appeal Nurullah’s arrest, a Taliban member beats Fattema and threatens to arrest them if they go outside again. Parvana comforts Zaki by telling the story of a boy on a quest to retrieve his village’s seeds from the evil Elephant King. Later, Parvana tries to buy food for her family, but the hawkers cannot sell her any due to fear of the Taliban. To support her family, she decides to cut her hair and dress as a boy, “Aatish”, claiming to be Nurullah’s nephew. The plot works, and Parvana is able to get both food and money. On the advice of Shauzia, another young girl disguised as a boy, Parvana tries to bribe a prison guard so she can see her father. However, the guard sends her away.
Date of download: 2015-11-11T17:22:34+00:00
Cast: |
Parvana is an 11-year-old girl who lives in Kabul under the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001). Her father, Nurullah, is a former school teacher who became a hawker after losing his left leg in the Soviet–Afghan War. One day, during supper, he is unjustly arrested after a volatile young member of the Taliban, Idrees, thinks he insulted him earlier while the two were selling goods in the market. Because the Taliban forbids women from going out without a male relative, Parvana’s family is left without the means to support themselves, as her elder brother Sulayman died years ago, leaving her, her mother Fattema, her elder sister Soraya, and her youngest brother Zaki.
When Parvana and her mother try to go to the prison to appeal Nurullah’s arrest, a Taliban member beats Fattema and threatens to arrest them if they go outside again. Parvana comforts Zaki by telling the story of a boy on a quest to retrieve his village’s seeds from the evil Elephant King. Later, Parvana tries to buy food for her family, but the hawkers cannot sell her any due to fear of the Taliban. To support her family, she decides to cut her hair and dress as a boy, “Aatish”, claiming to be Nurullah’s nephew. The plot works, and Parvana is able to get both food and money. On the advice of Shauzia, another young girl disguised as a boy, Parvana tries to bribe a prison guard so she can see her father. However, the guard sends her away.