Review of Persepolis

Persepolis tells the story of the events in an Iranian girl’s life as she grows from a child into a woman. Marjane Satrapi, author of the Persepolis graphic novels, designed and directed the autobiographical film, recounting the political events that shaped present-day Iran and the effect they had on her youth.

Opening in 1970s Tehran, the animated Persepolis begins in a strangely cartoonish fashion, recalling the bouncing movements and exaggerated expressions of something as flippant as Disney’s “Steamboat Willie.” The lighthearted images juxtapose the young, outspoken Marjane’s nine-year-old worldview with her parents’ political discussions about the Islamic Revolution to overthrow the Shah. Presenting potentially foreign experiences to an international audience, Marjane is at once likeable and easy to relate to. Treasuring her Adidas shoes and demonstrating Bruce Lee moves at her parents’ cocktail parties, she is a typical girl in any country enjoying some degree of wealth and freedom. After the Revolution, however, Iran’s once-hopeful future begins to look bleak.

Islamic fundamentalists impose new rules on the country and Marjane is forced to wear a veil and is persecuted for her “punk” attire. Iraq begins to bomb Iran in its weakened political state and multitudes of people are imprisoned as “national threats.” One such person is Marjane’s Communist uncle, who she idolizes. When he is executed, Marjane becomes determined to make sure that she carries on his struggle for freedom so he won’t have died in vain.

Because of her opinionated behavior and the increasingly volatile political climate in Iran, Marjane’s parents make the difficult decision to send her to Vienna at the age of 14. Marjane struggles with the awkward experiences of puberty in an unfamiliar country. She finds it difficult to fit in or form a truthful identity and ends up drifting through a series of temporary residences and having several disheartening social experiences. Eventually homeless and extremely depressed, Marjane returns home to Iran.

The film continues on to relate Marjane’s re-immersion into Iranian culture, her marriage and eventual divorce, and numerous instances of the injustices committed by the government. Though the film’s message is powerful and Marjane’s story significant, details of what seems like every event in Marjane’s daily life and constant introductions of family friends and political activists tend to make the movie drag during its hour-and-a-half running time. Persepolis is a rich, poignant account of experiences which need to be shared, but it probably could have been cut down by about 45 minutes and still been just as significant.

The animation in the film was painstakingly organized by Satrapi, who first drew each of over 600 characters and then acted out each scene for the animators. The result is a distinct, reproduction of Satrapi’s graphic novels put into motion. There are times, however, especially during the scenes of Marjane’s childhood, that the animation resembles that of a Charlie Brown cartoon. Round, expressive eyes, single-line mouths, and absurd 1920s transition effects make these parts of the movie seem inappropriately playful in contrast to the subject matter. The film does tend to mature with Marjane, though, and the frivolity of childhood gives way to deeply emotive scenes, created artistically with only a black and white palate.

Persepolis is a pathway into a world few others have seen. Designed on a two-dimensional landscape, its gray tones illustrate a country damaged by war and revolution, while its solid black and white accentuate the life of a young girl who was meant to stand out. An enlightening and profoundly personal film, Persepolis is a unique and valuable creation.