Persepolis - review

Persepolis is something truly special. This is a unique film, an Oscar nominated animated film that is the biography of Marjane Satrapi. Marjane Satrapi wrote her story of growing up in Iran during the revolution in two best-selling graphic novels. She was born in 1969, and was a spunky outspoken little girl who loved Bruce Lee, The Bee Gees and her Adiddas shoes. The revolution is seen through the eyes of this child, and the stark black and white of the images make the emotions more powerful than live action might have. Eventually, her outspokenness makes her parents fear for her safety, and they send her to go to a French school in Vienna. Imagine being a teenager that truly doesn't fit in -- one who has seen war and revolution and had relatives executed in prison.

I'm making it sound like this movie is full of doom and gloom. There is sadness, because there was tragedy and hardship in her life, but the film is full of funny moments. Marjane has a special relationship with her equally outspoken Grandmother. Marjane marries young, and comes weeping to her grandmother that she wants a divorce. Her Grandmother laughs, "Divorce! I thought someone had died! The first marriage is just practice for the next one."

This coming of age film tells a story that probably isn't unique in Iran -- that of a girl who lived in a secular family that became oppressed by the Islamic revolution. But to us in the West, this story is different, and I love that it is told from the viewpoint of this outspoken freespirited girl. Persepolis is a film that lost to Ratatouille for the Oscar for Animated film, but it made many critics top 10 films of year lists, and now I know why. It's a beautiful film, with an extraordinary story. Persepolis will be released on DVD June 24th.