Friday, January 9, 2009

Persepolis


This film starts with a young girl in Iran who is living through the revolution to overthrow the Shah and introduce communism. The film is a true story and is based on a French graphic novel written by Marjane Satrapi . The film is animated using drawings similar to the ones used in the book, and follows the relationships among those dreaming of communism, the war that kills many to no benefit, the lack of freedoms in Iran, and the fear and secrecy that its residences must live with. We follow Marjane as she grows up, learns about the politics affecting her country from her relatives, many of whom have served jail time because of their beliefs, receives messages from God, moves to Austria as a teen, falls in and out of love, deals with homelessness and depression, returns home and leaves again. The dark drawings and animation are beautiful and illustrate the hearts and struggles of the characters, how Iran is part of who they are, yet the country they love and care about restricts them so much. Amongst their family and friends, they are able to live enjoyable lives, yet live under fear of the authorities. They remain committed to their political ideals and never allow the appeal of leading a comfortable life come in the way of fighting for what they think is right.

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