Photo by: Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics
The gripping new French film “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud defies convention and brings animated flicks back to adult audiences. Adapted from a graphic novel written as a comic by Marjane Satrapi, “Persepolis” is an autobiographical film about the writer’s personal struggle with her Iranian roots.
In true biographical fashion, the film is told through a series of memories, beginning with Marjane’s (voiced by Gabrielle Lopes) childhood. Growing up in a intellectually adept and politically progressive home, Marjane’s family instills in her the need to stand by her political beliefs as well as her Iranian roots. Her mother and father (voiced by Catherine Deneuve and Simon Abkarain, respectively) are adamant in their quest for Marjane’s education about their country’s political turmoil and the effects it has had on their family. Many of their closest friends and family have been imprisoned or killed fighting for their beliefs, and young Marjane longs to be as brave as them with the help of her spitfire grandmother (voiced by Danielle Darrieux).
This portion of the movie is filled with historical and political commentary on the Shah’s regime and the Islamic Revolution through the eyes of a child. As Marjane becomes a teenager, Iran’s bloody war with Iraq erupts, and her parents decide to send her to school in Vienna.
The move proves extremely difficult for Marjane as she struggles to fit in, become an adult and stay true to her heritage. She grapples with love and heartbreak, drugs and rock music. She even experiments with living on the streets.
Although the film’s political and religious commentary was the intended focus of the movie, the power of the opening scenes soon unravels. and gives way to the family plotline.
While Marjane’s story is a refreshing insight into an area of the world and a culture that has been in the headlines since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, it is the characters’ struggles that make the film worth seeing.
The directors explore the dynamics of the family in masterful detail and through well-crafted dialogue between Marjane and her razor-tongued grandmother. These characters are so real that they grab the viewers and hold them spellbound.
In several scenes, this viewer forgot that this was an animated film.
Taking the viewer from tears to riotous laughter with the turn of a phrase, the characters are the most endearing aspect of the film. In fact, the film is funnier than most viewers expected from a story with such a weighty subject matter.
Stylistically, the film is an animated gem with each scene flowing smoothly into the next. Done mostly in black and white, the use of contrast is incredible, especially in the war scenes. This simple style dramatically accents the complexity of Marjane’s story without overwhelming the viewer. The animation allows for the use of otherwise impossible angles and effects, creating a two-dimensional world eerily similar to, yet completely different from our own.
Clearly, all of the buzz surrounding “Persepolis” is well deserved. It is without a doubt one of the most moving and groundbreaking animated films to emerge in years, and possibly ever. Winner of multiple awards and Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Feature Film, “Persepolis” is not a film to be missed.
Just don’t forget to bring your eyeglasses to read all of those English subtitles.
