In an animated film, a girl in Iran comes of age against the revolution there in the 1980s, as well as living for a few years as a teen in Austria.

CRITIQUE

Persepolis is one of the most-ifferent animated films that I have ever seen, a largely black-and-white, stylized adaptation of a graphic novel that tells the story of co-writer/co-director Marjane Satrapi’s pre-adult years growing up in harsh conditions in 1980s Iran, as well as a stint she spent as an unhappy outsider in Austria.  Though the movie takes a bit of getting used to, the result ultimately pays big dividends; this is a funny but always meaningful tale that is well worth checking out.

The plot follows Marjane from her being a young girl during the revolution, to her learning that as things change, they don’t really change for the better; Iran becomes more strict toward its women, while people in Marjane’s life are executed for their belief.  The filmmakers do a good job working in a lot of history and context-establishing without it being boring, and there is a lot here that is truly effecting.

The only color here is in the brief framework scenes of Marjane in an airport, reflecting on her life; everything in flashback (the vast bulk of the movie) has no color at all.  The animators make good use of this, incorporating different styles depending on what is happening in Marjane’s life, and visually the whole conceit serves the project well.

The film also does a good job mixing in the funny with the horrific; there is some good comic detail throughout, while Marjane always seems like a real character despite the animation, which makes some of the things she experiences tragically dramatic.  The movie was made in French, but it has an English-language track that is well-done, with the voice actors doing a strong job bringing across the material.

Ultimately this film works well for what it is, and hopefully it will lead to more animated films tackling serious subject matter in entertaining, involving fashion.  Worth checking out.

THE VIDEO

Persepolis is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen.  The images are crisp throughout.

THE AUDIO

Persepolis is presented in French and English 5.1 Dolby Digital; the French-language setting is the default, so if you want to hear it in English you’ll have to switch it over.  Dialogue, music and sound effects come through clear.  There are English and Spanish subtitles.

THE EXTRAS

There are some Commentaries on Selected Scenes:  a 3-minute commentary by Satrapi on the opening scene and the look of the film, and shorter commentaries by voice actor Chiara Mastroianni and co-writer/co-director Vincent Paronnaud on other sequences.

The Hidden Side of Persepolis is a very solid 30-minute making-of piece about the animation and the voicework; it’s one of the best examples of this I have seen in a while.

There is a very informative, interesting 8-minute Behind The Scenes featurette that includes interviews with English voice actors Gena Rowlands and Iggy Pop talking about the difficulties of dubbing the film into English; it also runs scenes from the movie alongside the sketches for them.

The 11–minute Animated Scene Comparisons features Satrapi discussing sketches that we see for sequences that either didn’t make it into the film or did in a different form.

The 2007 Cannes Film Festival Press Conference is a 28-minute piece in which the filmmakers, producers and actors and interviewed; it is mostly in French, with English subtitles, and briefly touches on the Iranian government’s negative reaction to the film.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The movie has an art house feel, and likely isn’t for all audiences, but those who give it a chance will find a lot that is entertaining and which also makes them think.