Persepolis
Based on the autobiographical graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis is an animated coming-of-age tale set against the backdrop of the Iranian revolution. Told through the eyes of a child (as reflected in Satrapi’s simplistic yet expressive black-and-white artwork), the story gives a potted history of modern Iran and shows how the various political upheavals affect her own liberal-minded family on a personal and often tragic level.
Though based in a Middle-Eastern context, Satrapi’s film is truly universal in its appeal and sentiment. After translations of the original novel met with worldwide success, Satrapi told the New York Times, “Suddenly I said to myself, ‘This is a universal story.’ I want to show that all dictatorships, no matter if it’s Chile, the Cultural Revolution in China or communist Poland, it’s the same schematic.”
Satrapi grew up in a country where a change of regime can mean the imprisonment and execution of family members who refuse to comply with its rules, but her character Marjane is easy to identify with. Her coming of age story is both fascinating for its uniqueness - she spent years in Iran, Austria and France under a variety of governments and regimes - and engaging in its universality. Like teenagers the world over Marjane suffers from acne and embarrassing growth spurts, she giggles in class, loves pop music, the latest fashions and her Nike trainers. With commendable frankness she draws us into each stage of her life, be it her childish dreams of becoming a great prophet, the isolation of living as an Iranian among shallow and prejudiced Europeans, or the overwhelming despair she feels when she finds out her boyfriend has been cheating on her. As a teenager in Vienna she pretends to be French to avoid the stigma of hailing from Iran, a country her friends assume is populated by “violent, blood-thirsty fanatics”. Her story testifies firmly against their presumption.
The film is adept at creating a sense of nostalgia. Surrounded by a loving, independently minded family, Marjane remembers the first ten years of her life with fondness, highlighting childish pleasures such as the stories of heroism told by her beloved communist Uncle Anouche, who has endured prison and torture but dreams of a better world, family parties, dressing up and playing with her friends in the street. Marjane is a spirited girl, encouraged by her liberal minded parents and feisty grandmother who teaches her to believe in herself and be true to her principles. Like her family, she hopes the fall of the Shah will bring democracy and more freedom for the Iranian people. “Trust the people. They’ll do all they can to keep their freedom now,” says Anouche.
Instead, they get a repressive Islamic regime and years of war with Iraq. All the women are forced to wear the hijab; rock music, make-up and alcohol are all banned. But the tight restrictions can do nothing to quash Marjane’s sense of humour. While one pupil is waxing lyrical on current sartorial policy (”the veil stands for liberty”), Marjane and her classmates exchange illicit records from Abba and the BeeGees. Later we see her haggling over Iron Maiden tapes with a black market dealer, the words “PUNK IS NOT DED” scrawled over the back of her jacket. On another occasion her teacher tells the class that there have been no political prisoners under the new regime. Marjane contradicts the teacher, telling her there were 3,000 political prisoners under the Shah’s regime, whereas now there are 300,000. Her impudence attracts the ire of the authorities, and her parents decide to pack her off to Vienna to keep her out of trouble.
Austria is certainly a breath of fresh air after the increasing oppression of Iran, but Marjane soon feels isolated in this radically different society. The values she was raised with do not correspond with the drugs and casual sex that her friends like to indulge in, and after a period of trying to fit in with cannabis and wild parties, Marjane returns to her home country - now virtually unrecognisable after years of war and religious oppression.
The film’s artwork imitates the original comic books, with memories presented in black and white; the present in colour. The style is deliberately two-dimensional, bringing Marjane’s story to life while iconoclastically ridiculing those in office who appear as carbon copies of one another, hidden by identikit beards and a pious countenance. Animation also enables us to witness how Marjane’s emotions and experience affect her perception of those around her. Her Austrian boyfriend, for example, is depicted as intelligent and handsome until Marjane discovers him in bed with another woman. After this moment he becomes a monster in Marjane’s mind - ugly and spotty, with wonky teeth and bad breath.
Persepolis is a moving, funny yet deeply personal account of one woman’s childhood in an era of political turbulence and religious oppression. Aside from the cleverly stylised animation, much of the film’s beauty lies in Satrapi’s ability to find warmth and humour in the direst of situations, both personal and political.
