Movie Review - Persepolis

The trailers for Persepolis looked really interesting. The film had a distinct animation style, it was based on a true story, and it had heavy political elements. The story is an autobiography of Marjane Satrapi, a girl who grew up in the middle of the Iranian revolution.

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The first thing I noticed was that the animation was very detailed. Persepolis is based on a graphic novel with the same illustration style. Even though at first glance the visual elements appear simple, there is a lot going on. It's really amazing how this black and white cartoon is actually great eye candy.

The story plays out as a history lesson focused on one family. According to my Iranian friend and coworker, it's a very fair assessment of what happened in Iran from 1978 to 1992. Even though Marjane's viewpoint is strong, it's not the only one shown in the movie. The film also focuses on Marjane's womanhood, as she goes from being a free ten year old girl to being a repressed 22 year old woman.

I liked Persepolis. It wasn't preachy and it moved quickly. There was also a dark humor which is explained as something every Iranian needs to get by. Definitely go see it.