Persepolis

"Persepolis" is an animated film based on Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical  graphic novel  of the same name about her childhood in Tehran during the last Iranian revolution and coming of age after emigrating to Vienna. It is an extraordinarily ordinary story about an average woman coming to terms with herself and with the world around her. Did I say "average woman"? My bad. I meant dynamic, charming, intelligent, and fiercely individualistic. Ms. Satrapi's story is among the finest works ever animated and bestows upon the viewer the endless virtues of knowledge, a broadened mind, and a true perspective on humanity. "Persepolis" will break your heart, make you smile and laugh out loud, cheer, possibly sing, and restore your faith in humanity. The fact that this was passed over for an Oscar in favor of yet another mediocre Pixar effort (about a rat that controls a chef by pulling his hair, no less) is the ultimate proof positive that that award (or any other, really) has no merit whatsoever.Young Marji walks down the street to the place where shady characters reside. As she passes each bootlegger, they whisper the names of the forbidden fruit they possess. "Lipstick" whispers one, "Jichael Mackson" mispronounces another. She continues on until she hears what she wants: "Iron Maiden". She quickly negotiates a price and makes off with her prize just as a group of overbearing religious figures tower over her. They have taken issue with her shoes: plain sneakers. Marjie insists they are for basketball, but another spots her Michael Jackson patch, a symbol of American greed. Then the coup-de-gras; she has "punk is not dead" scrawled across the back of her outfit. Thinking fast, Marjie bursts into tears, sobbing lies about her parents having died in the war with the Iraqis and a cruel guardian who will burn her with an iron if they turn her in. Safely back at home, having tricked the local oppressive religious posse, the young girl grabs a tennis racket as a guitar and bangs her head to the sweet, hard-earned reward of heavy metal. The scene then segues -music still rocking- to the frontlines of the war where the new Iranian Islamic rulers are sending young men unarmed to rush the Iraqi army, acting as human shields/martyrs. Their parents are rewarded by the government for their sons' sacrifices with little plastic keys which are promised to open the door to Heaven for their dead children. Such are the complications of everyday life in Iran at this time. The duality of these scenes speaks a lot for the power and message of this film. But while there is highly enlightening political commentary and historical information to be found here, the focus is on the everyday life and struggles of our protagonist with the horrors of her surrounding often being downplayed.The animation is minimalist art of the highest stylistic brilliance. The endearing nature of Marjie and her family is only highlighted by the ultra-simplistic black and white pencil-and-paper artwork. All of the CG in the world could not improve on this film in any way; the focus is on story, characters, and stylistic integrity, as it should be. The film's philosophies run deep and broad, ranging from harsh commentaries on authority to harsh commentary on purposeless counterculture. Wisdom comes from Marjie's grandmother, from her imaginary chats with God, and her memories of her communist uncle. These are life lessons about integrity, prudence, and acceptance that one should always carry with them and produce many, many quotable quotes.Do not think for a second that this film is all about heaviness of spirit and preachiness. No, no, no, no; nothing could be further from the truth. Ms. Satrapi is a brilliant social satyrist who fills "Persepolis" with pointed jokes, lighthearted moments, and heartwarming charm while pointing out that at heart, we are all the same. There is a time in Marjie's life where she becomes a lifeless, jaded cynic unable to do anything but watch TV and let life pass her by. Then one day, she wakes up angry again. The result is a musical montage that will likely make you laugh hysterically or jump out of your seat to sing along. Possiby both. This is just that kind of film. Throw in some animated love for  Godzilla , Bruce Lee , and  Terminator 2  and I am beyond sold.The DVD has a few behind-the-scenes special features that show us the woman herself at work. Having already fallen in love with her animated doppelganger, seeing the vivacious Marjane Satrapi made flesh is a real treat. We get a view of the old-school animation processes and are able to watch Ms. Satropi act out different characters for the animators to see. This is nearly as much fun as the movie itself. Wonderful feature. This is a near-perfect film that I would recommend to anybody who isn't going to run away from a mostly black and white animated film with subtitles. And if you are: well, enjoy your life of closed-minded cinematic ignorance. "Persepolis" is a revelation whose duty is to entertain us while reminding us just how good we have it and simultaneously educating us about a culture and history few in the West have made any attempt to understand. Ms. Satropi's insisted that this story be animated and not filmed for this reason: animated characters are more universally identifiable. Set a film in Iran and fill it with Iranians and you have an ethic film that many will subconsciously refuse to identify with. But with animation, all things are possible; even bridging a gaping cultural divide. But at it's heart, this is a film about the enthusiam of youth, the hardships of adulthood, and the triumph of personal integrity. Do not miss this.

What can I say? This was a great movie. And, because it was a cartoon, it was actually possible to do a very good English dubbing that is faithful to the French.Iran is a fascinating country. And most people know nothing of it. Iran was a great civilization in the times of the Romans, and before that. It is such a shame people only know about Iran through the press about it wanting nuclear weapons. Most people do not even know that Iranians are not Arabs, but a complex mix of many ethnic groups mostly united under Shia Islam. And, most people know nothing about Shia Islam either and how different it is from Sunni. They have been two separate faiths in almost all regards since Ali.Most of all, people picture Iran as "uncivilized" and in the same category as the mess that is Afghanistan. Iran has suffered much since the 1978 revolution. This movie shows you what life was like for a wealthy Iranian family before the revelation. Complex, cosmopolitan, and quite modern. Then it shows the hell that became Iran after the hardliners took over. It shows how all Iranians wanted really was to be free of imperial rule and take its place among the great nations of the world. And yes, at that time a lot of Iranians were socialists, but they were a people yurning for freedom.Through the eyes of a remarkable young woman, who to me symbolized Iran itself in many ways, the viewers of this movie are treated to poetry through cartoons. It is sometimes a hilarious movie. And it was tragic as well. Margane had such high hopes for herself and her country. And, keeping with the symbols, so did Iran at that time in 1978, the kind of optimism found only in children. And, as she grows up, so does her image of her beloved homeland.In the end, after much loss and growing up, she immigrates to France. But, she certainly is not happy about losing her family and her country. So many people don't understand that about many immigrants. They love their countries so much, but must divorce them to go on living a meaningful life.This is one of the best films about the Middle East that exists. It really doesn't have a particular political agenda. People living in such circumstances don't have much time to think about politics. That it certainly does not portray the West as fully positive is just history. It doesn't portray Iran as fully negative either. It simply is what it is. At times, it simply is absurd beyond belief and the only thing to do is laugh about it.The fact that it's in black and white reflects that memories tend to be that way. And, this is a woman's memories. It's her perception of the world. Memory is not actually reliable for recording history, and this movie makes that pretty clear. And that it was a trivial love affair that almost killed her is so true to life! She managed to survive the bloodbath of the revolution and war with Iraq. But it's breaking up with some boy that almost kills her.The scenes in color are the "third person" perspective scenes as well as being modern day. Some people get the impression that the black and white was to show how grey and depressing Iran was. I do not agree! As Paul Simon sang, "Everything looks clearer in black and white." Isn't that true of memories, which simply are perceptions?A beautiful film! One of my top 50 all time favorites. Just beautiful!

Buena y original película. Hecha en dibujos animados, está recomendada para un público adolescente o adulto. Tiene momentos en color y otros en blanco y negro (ligados a las emociones). Me gustó porque contrasta el mundo oriental y el occidental, sacando lo mejor y lo peor de ambos. Plantea cuestiones importantes acerca de la vida, conjuga la alegría con el dolor, el amor con el odio y todo tipo de sentimientos, emociones y pensamientos entrelazados en el tiempo, es decir, a lo largo de la vida de Marjane, su protagonista, que nos cuenta la historia de su vida desde su nacimiento en Irán, pasando por sus viajes en diferentes países y el final de su historia. Una historia real, más común de lo que podemos pensar.

日本語はありませんが、原作を読んでいたことでさほど苦にならず視聴できました。

This is a brilliant movie. Given I'm not overly fond of animated movies, I was surprised how it didn't affect my enjoyment. Set in post-revolutionary Iran, it provided insight how an ordinary family copes with the strictures of the regime, the rebellion of the daughter which induced the family to send her to a safer environment for her ongoing education, her 'adventures' through teen years, love affair, and subsequent return to Iran to rejoin her family. Ultimately, her parents felt it would be better and safer for her to remain abroad. The viewer identified with the love and agony of the parents in making the decision to send their daughter away. The dialogue, facial expressions, family events, indeed the entire movie, was a tour de force in animation and storyline. Filmed in black and white emphasized the starkness of life in post-revolutionary Iran. I've seen the movie twice, enjoyed as much the second time as first. Highly recommended.

Un film d'animation surprenant relatant la vie et les souvenirs de la petite Marji, Marjane Satrapi, la réalisatrice, durant une période pré et post révolution islamique en Iran. Dans les premières minutes j'ai été un peu surpris par le langage de la petite Marja et surtout de sa grand-mère résolument moderne, qui fume, qui jure qui s'habille à occidentale et qui visiblement déteste les barbus. On découvre par le biais de ce film le vrai visage des iraniens, ou du moins on espère que les iraniens ne sont pas tous comme les fondamentalistes au pouvoir. Malheureusement on voit bien que Marja vient de la société éduquée du pays et que sa famille espérait la démocratie, démocratie qui a été volée par les islamistes qui ont manipulé les foules. C'est très souvent drôle, parfois parce que la situation est complètement absurde, la petite fille qui voulait devenir prophète en son pays se retrouve à rejeter la religion avec un passage assez marquant où elle dit à Dieu de dégager... En bonus vous avez toute la genèse du film et là on se rend compte que la vraie Marjane ressemble effectivement trait pour trait à son personnage animé, ou le contraire et rien que ça c'est assez drôle. En conclusion j'ai beaucoup aimé et je vous le recommande fortement.

Très bon film!