Persepolis is one of the best coming-of-age stories that follows a precocious and outspoken young Iranian girl that begins during the Islamic Revolution. We meet nine-year-old Marjane when the fundamentalists first take power--forcing the veil on women and imprisoning thousands.
This French animation is this week's hidden gem.
The story then follows her as she cleverly outsmarts the "social guardians" and discovers punk, ABBA and Iron Maiden, while living with the terror of government persecution and the Iran/Iraq war.
Then Marjane's journey moves on to Austria where, as a teenager, her parents send her to school in fear for her safety and, she has to combat being equated with the religious fundamentalism and extremism she fled her country to escape.
Marjane eventually gains acceptance in Europe, but finds herself alone and horribly homesick, and returns to Iran to be with her family, though it means putting on the veil and living in a tyrannical society.
After a difficult period of adjustment, she enters art school and marries, continuing to speak out against the hypocrisy she witnesses.
At age twenty-four, she realizes that while she is deeply Iranian, she cannot live in Iran. She then makes the heartbreaking decision to leave her homeland for France, optimistic about her future, shaped indelibly by her past.
It seems that animation is being used as the new tool to deliver political messages, as Persepolis was followed up this year by Waltz with Bashir, and this film works on so many levels.
One it is an account of one country’s fight for freedom during the revolution in Iran and how, even when things go from bad to worse, many of them hold onto a little shred of hope.
But the film is also a coming of age story that tackles the idea of innocence and how war tool that it innocence and care-free existence away. But Persepolis also very much focuses on the feminist struggle in Iran and this is beautifully contrasted with Marjane’s experiences in Europe.
But it's not in your face politics because it is seen through the eys of a nieve child and this makes some of this harsh political points a little easier to deal with.
The monochrome animation is beautiful yet stark and this is mixed with the surprise humour that is in the script. The political element is very understated throughout the whole film but when it does raise its head it’s like a slap in the face.
Perseoplis was nominated for a Best Animation Oscar despite this it's a shame that this beautifully unique movie did not do well at the box office when released here in the UK.
And while, in comparison to the animation movies that we are used to seeing, this is very low tech it is a high quality piece of filmmaking that I urge everyone to see, it’s one of those movies that will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw