This film slipped under my radar during its late 2007 theatrical run and its mid 2008 DVD release. It isn’t surprising though considering Persepolis’ content and its origin. I’m aware of critically acclaimed anime through various sources on the internet and local fandom, but I’m not as plugged into the Indie film scene as maybe I should be. Apparently Persepolis did show up on many top ten movie lists for 2007 and was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscar. Nothing against Ratatouille, but after seeing Persepolis, it should have won. I need to pay more attention to European-based animation productions in the future.

The film is based on Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel by the same name. It’s an autobiographical piece about her life growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. The movie begins with Marjane at an airport thinking back to her childhood in Iran. We see the hopes and dreams of a young girl set against the political turmoil of the late ’70s. Her parents, grandmother and uncle discuss the fall of the Shah and what change may mean to their country’s future. Their hopes for better times are dashed as the new order brings in its brand of repression to their society. Marjane loses her beloved uncle under the new government in which political dissent is punished with imprisonment and possibly death. Women are forced to dress modestly in public according religious fundamentalist rules. Marjane’s family must adjust to their new reality. Marjane rebels in her own way by wearing Western clothes and buying Western music on the black market. (Western culture tends to corrupt, and absolute Western culture corrupts absolutely…hmm). Fearing for her daughter’s safety, Marjane’s parents send her away to school in Europe.

We next follow Marjane’s life in Vienna. She deals the issues which all teenagers face plus feelings of being an outsider in a new land. The cultural isolation and the breakup of a relationship send her into a depression and homelessness. Her eventual return home to Iran sparks more feelings of isolation and her anger over the social conditions in Iranian society. Her grandmother (my favorite character) plays an important role in this part of her life.

Persepolis is a fascinating coming of age story set against the background of social turmoil. Being a child of the eighties in America and having missed the turmoil of the sixties, I can not imagine what it was like. While America fought a foreign war in the 60s and early 70s, Marjane had to deal with the Iran-Iraq war of the 80s in her own country. The black and white imagery of the movie and the depiction of government repression conjured up visions of the British film Nineteen Eighty-Four for me. And though the film was considered controversial by the Iranian government (and banned by a couple of others), it’s an important piece of art. One person’s life journey through a turbulent period of her and her country’s life. As heavy as the material is, there are lighter moments. The scene of Marjane’s triumph over her depression made me smile.

There will be no shortage of action, adventure, and sci-fi animated films reviewed on this site. But I will also include little gems like this film to showcase the wide range of animation that exists. If you’re interested, Marjane’s graphic novels were originally published in French in 2000. They were later translated and are available in English on sites like Amazon.

U.S. Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Director: Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud
Release: 2007
Rating: PG-13
Length: 96 minutes
Genre: biography, drama
Source: Persepolis graphic novel
Official Site: Official Persepolis Film Site