Review: ‘Persepolis’

Travis:

Persepolis (2007) is an animated film from France, based on a graphic novel from Iranian writer Marjane Satrapi, about whom the story is based. The story follows little Marji as she grows and matures into life despite all the circumstances that surround her. Really, the story is actually about the nation of Iran and the struggle it has put on its own people for the past thirty years or so. We witness this brief history of modern Iran through the life experience of Marjane, from her innocent youth through to her earlier adulthood years, coping with the ever-changing, often harsh and dangerous revolutions and wars that have plagued her country. The story resonates of something we see daily across the globe in our world, that despite the corrupt and violent governments and the extremist factions of various religions, led by misguided souls, at the heart of these struggles are the masses of common people who suffer, but are seen only as numbers and casualties of war. The movie if often cute with moments of childhood silliness, often heartfelt with moments of poignant realization or worldly advice from one generation to another, but is just as often heart-wrenching and tragic. Every bit of this movie is sincere film-making from the creator, not just telling her story, but telling a larger story from her own eyes, as she has lived it. The animation, while not as technically superior as the other two nominees for the Academy award, is outstanding in its simplicity, maintaining its artistic appeal from the graphic novel source material. The legendary Catherine Deneuve (honestly, if I need to list a film here, so help me…) lends her voice as Marji’s mother. The selections made for the highly effective soundtrack are spot on, especially at the moment of Marjane’s epiphany, lifting herself from her rock bottom plunge to Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger (you know, the Rocky theme), performed by Marji herself. Persepolis was creative and original film-making while not going over the top with its experimentation. If we allow ourselves to see beyond the political veil that we as an audience tend to place in front of a film such as this, we will find a film of self-realization and triumph against all odds. As for the Academy awards, I still believe Ratatouille has the upper hand, but I would be thoroughly pleased if this artsy little gem were to upset the status quo.

(4 out of 5)

Zac:

This adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name is an excellent film that infuses history and humor through the eyes of a child to examine the transition of Iran into a totalitarian state.
Written and Directed by Marjane Satrapi, along with Vincent Paronnaud, she adapts her semi-autobiographical novel with great effect allowing us to see the innocence and mind of a child wrapped in revolution through some wonderful hand-drawn animation.
The story follows Marji, an Iranian whose family is not sympathetic to the regime of the Shah in power and we come in on her story just as the revolution begins to make some serious head way in the 70’s. The story serves as a very interesting history lesson of the region and allows for people to see that not all Iranians are evil like our government might lead you to believe today.
Some terrible things happen along the way and a change in regime ended up not being what the people of the country expected. The film successfully coveys the issues and problems with the change of power and rules with the Islamic take over and control of the Iranian government. We see the struggle and unwillingness to adjust while also seeing the hypocrisy of Islamic laws at times. Marji allows us a view that is one sided but I feel is an accurate representation of the feeling of many of the people of Iran during these troubled times.
The film, as I have described it, sounds a bit dark and serious but that is what Marjane Satrapi does so well is to inject humor and lightness into the proceedings. The film is extremely funny at times and Marji as a young girl is a pop culture junky fireball that is just a blast to watch and entertains throughout. As Marji grows with the story and her experience she matures but is still able to see the lighter side of things without losing a proper and serious perspective on things.
Persepolis is a marvel in this way that it is able to wield such an amazing and entertaining story about a course of events that caused a number of pains and atrocities for so many people. For everyone afraid of subtitles, the film is to be released later on this year with an English language track professionally recorded and observed by the directors and I hope more people discover this wonderful little film that deserves its Oscar nomination. This comes with a high recommendation for any fans of history, animation, or anyone looking for a wonderful story of the human spirit and the effect political unrest can have on it and the people around it.

(4.5 out of 5)

[rating: 4.25/5]