Persepolis Review – Animated Film About Iran

French Film Based on Graphic Novelist Marjane Satrapi's Life

Jun 9, 2009

A look at the Oscar nominated film Persepolis directed by Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi now available on dvd and as a book.

Marjane Satrapi is an Iranian born writer/illustrator now living in France. Persepolis is based on her 2003 autobiographical book (graphic novel) of the same name.

With the 2007 animated film Persepolis, Satrapi has created a world that transcends cultures, and manages to tell a story of some complexity in an instantly accessible way. Seen through the eyes of a child, the events unfold in a manner that's both easy to grasp and relate to. By the end of the film, we have seen and experienced so much with Marji, she almost feels like an old friend.

Marji Singing “Eye of the Tiger” in Persepolis

The film was heavily marketed using a humorous clip of Marji dancing and singing along to the Survivor song “Eye of the Tiger”. The clip is a good stand alone excerpt, but it's not really representative of the film as a whole. Persepolis has moments of humour and light relief, but it is far more widely punctuated with horror, anger and disappointment. Marji is a spirited child, with fiercely independent views on everything from music to politics. But in Iran, her personality and her perfectly normal need to express her individuality puts her at risk.

Marji's Reaction to Regime Changes in Iran

The newly empowered Islamic fundamentalists cause life in Iran to become subject to increasing constraints. Marji is forced to go from play-fighting in the street with boys to suddenly wearing long dark robes and having to use a different school entrance to her male playmates. Her incomprehension, and her desire to question the point of these changes, cleverly reveals a wider picture. Marji's experiences, and reluctant adherence to the new rules, represents what was the reality of life for many ordinary Iranians during the regime changes of the 1980s, but it does so in such a way that it's easy for Western audiences to understand and sympathize.

Marji Moves to Vienna

As Marji grows up, the troubles only increase. Iraqis begin dropping bombs on their Iranian neighbours, and family friends who are seen to be defying the Islamic government start to disappear. Marji's educated parents make the difficult decision to send her abroad to complete her studies. Unfortunately, Marji soon discovers that although Europe is not as strictly governed as Iran, it is far from ideal. She misses her family and her imperfect home country immensely, and feels as though she doesn't really fit in.

Danielle Darrieux and Catherine Deneuve in Persepolis

Persepolis does an excellent job of portraying poor Marji as a fish out of water both in Iran and Vienna. It's easy to empathize with her, even though she doesn't always make the most sensible decisions. Her lack of sagacity is one of the reasons the story rings so true. Marji is still learning and refining her views about the world. Her guiding light in this respect is her wise and perceptive Grandma. Voiced by the great French actress Danielle Darrieux, Grandma is a tremendous character. Everything she has to say is spoken simply and eloquently and yet is seemingly laced with a lifetimes knowledge.

Marji's mother is voiced by the equally enchanting Catherine Deneuve, who interestingly has now played Danielle Darrieux's daughter in 5 different films.

The Style of Animation in Persepolis

Persepolis is distinctively etched in stark 2D black and white. It is not a familiar style of animation, but by eschewing the full colour 3D that has become the norm, Persepolis achieves an impressionistic, at times surreal, effect. The result is a strangely beguiling animation, which has no immediate parallels. It matches the tone and action of the narrative effortlessly, placing Persepolis a world away from animations aimed at children. As Marjane Satrapi herself says:

“...unfortunately you know, most of the people, they consider animation much like comedies, as a genre. It's not a genre. It's just a medium.”

It was definitely the perfect medium for Satrapi's autobiographical movie to make its mark on the world, that's for sure, helping to make Persepolis an emotionally moving and most unique film experience.

Further Reading: Another interesting film from and about life in Iran is Majid Majidi's Children of Heaven.

The copyright of the article Persepolis Review – Animated Film About Iran in European Films is owned by Michelle Strozykowski. Permission to republish Persepolis Review – Animated Film About Iran in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.