Persepolis Review

The film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was simultaneously one of the worst movies of all time, and one of the best things that ever happened to the comic book medium. A horrible bastardization of a revered modern classic miniseries by Alan Moore, it required nearly every review of the film to mention that it wasn't as good as the comic book it was based on.

And gradually, people realized that this implies comics can be... good. And since they're essentially storyboards for movies that don't exist yet already, maybe using them as a blueprint for a film is a good idea- witness the $700 million combined gross of 300 and Sin City, two movies that look exactly like the Frank Miller comic they adapt. Hmmmm...


Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novel Persepolis was another text ripe for the film treatment, and it's wonderful to see that it has followed suit and been transcribed nearly unchanged. The story of a young girl's experiences in war-torn Iran, and later Eastern Europe, it is at once whimsical and profound- the simple, black and white animation is as straightforward as the narrative.

There are no embellishments on lessons that should be learned, and no social responsibility is preached beyond the conclusions you draw natural from stories of oppressive regimes. In the film, Marjane goes through depressions and revolts of character, but never strays into self-pity of righteousness- it's just a tale of living a life, one tougher than most.

There's a bit of fun with American culture seeping in to Iran by subterfuge, as men in parks sell Bee Gees tapes from their coat pockets to our rebellious protagonist. And the film's lightest moment comes when Marjane decides to shuck off her despair by rocking out to "Eye of the Tiger."

It's a great story, and a great film that doesn't try to get in the way. For all the technical mastery and hours of work that went into Ratatouille, Persepolis might steal the Best Animated Feature trophy by simply (gasp!) looking like a comic.

When to See it: Before it Leaves Theatres

Leftover thoughts:

• When I was a kid, a bad day was stubbing my toe, not having my house destroyed by Iraqi bombs. Makes you think.
• Great cameo by God in this film. Good to see the big guy getting some work.
• One lesson obvious from the story of the Islamic Revolution is the whole "who watches the watchmen" thing when the revolutionaries turn out to be just as bad as the overthrown. This is why I'm not sure why there are so many Che Guevara T-shirts on college campuses- but that's a whole nother post.