Here is the story of two very different marriages: one observant of sharia law, and one that rejects it while living in a privately egalitarian union. Prison guard Atiq struggles to communicate with his wife Mussarat who grapples with a fatal diagnosis. Elsewhere in the city, Mohsen and his wife Zunaira live as equals behind closed doors, quietly opposing the Taliban regime. When Mohsen finds himself unexpectedly participating in the fundamentalist communal outrage, his ensuing actions set in motion a series of consequences that will bring both couples together in unexpected ways. Adapted from the French novel by Yasmina Khadra, Zabou Breitman and Eléa Gobbé-Mévellec’s The Swallows of Kabul takes unconventional approaches to melodrama, not just in its animation, but also through the economy of its storytelling. Unfurling its human drama with visual ingenuity, The Swallows of Kabul is a reflective examination of the struggle between choosing a liberating escape or living in resistance against oppressive regimes.