Persepolis

Persepolis is the 2008 film based on the autobiographical graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi. On screen, it remains in its graphic novel 'drawn' style, as opposed to the likes of Sin City, where there are real actors in comic-strip like settings.

The story is of Marjane growing from a young girl to a woman. She lives in Tehran, Iran with her Mum, Dad and Grandmother. She grows through periods of oppresion from the Shah and from the Islamic Republic Party who take control with 99.99% of the vote. She also survives a war, as Iraq and Iran begin to fight. Marjane is sent abroad, to the apparently safer place of Vienna, where she lives happily at first, growing from child to young woman, but two heartbreaks-one of which leaves her terribly ill-leads her to return to Tehran, a place unrecognisable to the one she left. Her Marjane starts afresh, and marries a young man, apparently simply to escape the concern of the fundamentalist Muslim regime. Yet, Marjane realises she cannot remain in Iran, leaving her husband in the wake of the death of a close friend at the hands of the government.

For an animated film, the characters are all well drawn. The central character of Marjane is sympathetic, and her Grandmother comes across as a liberal, relaxed woman. Uncle Anoush (apparently voiced by Iggy Pop in the English version), a Communist-inspired freedom fighter-is another influence in Marjane's life as a child. There are even appearences from God, all beard and raised eyebrows.

The Iranian culture is also well-drawn (literally). The scene where a young Marjane ventures out in search of punk music is wonderful-having tall men in long coats shiftly selling music such as The Bee Gees, Led Zepellin and 'Jichael Mackson' is very clever.

I really enjoyed Persepolis despite being sceptical about its graphic novel form, I now cannot see how it could have been done well with actors.