Persepolis

View Date: 9/10/09

Persepolis is a movie based on an autobiographical graphic novel. This animated feature was performed in French with English subtitles. It follows the history of Iran through the eyes of a growing girl from 1978 to present. This time period covers the fall of the Shah, the Iran/Iraq war, through the present oppressive regime.

I have seen various pages from the graphic novel, and it appears to stay true to the original work. I felt the present depictions being in color with the memories solely in grayscale was particularly poignant. It showed how bleak life could be, even for a young girl, even for a person from a distinguished and educated background. In fact, her family's involvement in politics, including a distant relation to the Shah, greatly influenced her childhood in a negative way.

The method of animation made it very obvious that this was adapted from a graphic novel, and also really helped it stay true to the book. I felt miserable at the girl's loss of freedom, joyful when she was happy or stood up for herself, and was able to identify with the depths of her depressions. Yet with all of the drama, there were some moments that made me chuckle out loud, such as her entrance into puberty.

I thought this movie was very well done. I was able to feel the turmoil of a young girl torn between freedom and family, safety and war/revolution, known and unknown. I was able to empathize with her through each death and love, setback and step forward. I can definitely understand why this movie was so critically acclaimed.

10 words or less: Unforgiving look at a young Iranian girl's life.