Movie Review - “Persepolis”
*** 1/2 STARS
“Persepolis” is a touching and magical animated film based on the graphic novel series of the same name. The film was written and directed by Marjane Satrapi (author of the novel) and Vincent Paronnaud and the film won the Prize of the Jury at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival this past year. The title is a reference to the historical city of “Persepolis” which was an ancient ceremonial capital of the Persian Empire.
The story in this film depicts life just before the Iranian Revolution in Tehran and is shown through the eyes of the nine-year-old girl named Marjane. The story in “Persepolis” shows how Iran’s people’s hopes for change were slowly dashed as the Islamic fundamentalists took power in the early 1980’s. This new Islamic government began forcing head coverings on women, making Western culture illegal and imprisoning and killing thousands that opposed them.
This brilliantly black and white film is crisp and alive with vibrant animation. “Persepolis” is a winner because it uses humor and subtle imagery to create emotions rather than giving a history lesson with gory visuals. The emotionally crushing depiction of a society that is forced to go on through a vicious and bloody war is at times unbelievable. The filmmakers craft a vivid and beautiful story that is extraordinarily moving and wildly informative.
I wasn’t expecting this film to deliver as many genuine laughs and great dialog as it did. Many “adult” animated features lack the maturity and creativity to balance the two. “Persepolis” introduced me to a rich world that I have never had the chance to see. And much like other great cartoon features, the animation expresses emotions in a much richer and human way.
It is my opinion that most live action films cannot capture the same magic and emotion that some animated films do. Through creative storytelling and lush animation filmmakers are able to tell stories in wickedly imaginative ways. “Persepolis� deserves a nomination for Best Foreign Language and Animated Film from the Motion Picture Academy of Arts & Sciences when they announce their choices next week.
WATCH THE “PERSEPOLIS” MOVIE TRAILER BELOW:
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