Persepolis (Movie)

Based on Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics (2007)
Rating: PG-13

Genre: Animated film, autobiography
Director: Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Parannaud
Main Cast: Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve

Viewer’s Annotation: Marjane struggles to reconcile her cultural identity as her country is torn apart by war and she is increasingly influenced by life in the West.

Summary: Marjane is a child in Tehran, Iran in 1978. In her close-knit family, there is discussion of the shah, the revolution, and communism, but young Marjane is unaffected by politics until her beloved Uncle Anoush is arrested at the start of the Iraq/Iran war. Around her Tehran becomes more and more conservative and when Marjane speaks out against her teacher in school, her parents decide it is best for Marjane to study abroad while life in Iran is so unstable. In Vienna, Marjane studies philosophy, matures into a young woman, and struggles to figure out her place as a foreigner in the Western world. To find herself, she returns to Tehran, but the land she finds upon her return is barely a shadow of the place she knew as a child.

Notes: The animation adds layers of insight, irony and humor that could not be achieved in another medium.
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