The Swallows of Kabul

"It's amazing how animation has become such an efficient and powerful language for telling the dramas and dilemmas of the Middle East. This was true for 'Waltz with Bashir', 'The Rabbi's Cat', 'Persepolis', 'Breadwinner' and now the powerful 'Les Hirondelles de Kaboul'. Directed by animation newcomers Zabou Breitman and Eléa Gobbé-Mévellec, the feature film puts a lightness on the unbearable reality of Kabul occupied by the Taliban in the 1990s. Stories of love and heartbreak pile up, showing how realities and behaviors adapt and try to find solutions in difficult times. It is a powerful, cohesive animated drama that should leave your stomach churning when thinking about the possibilities and restrictions that this people lived through amidst chaos, death and violence. A movie to feel and reflect."