Iranian-born writer/artist Marjane Satrapi grew up in a comparatively liberal family during the final years of the Shah's dictatorship in the late 1970s and the early stages of the Islamic revolution that catapulted the Ayatollah Khomeini into power. Based on a series of graphic novels written by Satrapi (who co-directs here with Vincent Paronnaud), the Oscar-nominated animated Persepolis (presented here in both the original French and a new dubbed English version) follows Satrapi's childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood, as she is sent (for her own safety) to attend school in Vienna, unhappily returns to Tehran (and a failed marriage), and eventually becomes an exile living in Paris. Featuring simple but elegant (if not always ideally expressive) b&w imagery, coupled with a deadpan, self-deprecating tone of spunkiness in the face of woe, Persepolis manages to mix light and dark subjects and a strong cast of characters—not just Marjane, who matures from a spirited young girl only half comprehending events to a young woman (voiced by Chiara Mastroianni) looking back on her personal history—but also Marjane's mother (Catherine Deneuve) and especially her grandmother (Danielle Darrieux), both women of down-to-earth wisdom and indomitable spirit. Ultimately, we witness the tragedy of modern Iran, from royal despotism to religious rigidity, exacerbated by the horrors of the war with Iraq, reflected in the experience of a single family in a film that is witty, charming, and often genuinely poignant. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the half-hour featurette “The Hidden Side of Persepolis” on the animation and voice work, a 29-minute Cannes press conference Q&A, four animated scene comparisons with commentary by writer-director-author Marjane Satrapi (11 min.), a nine-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, three select scene commentaries by Satrapi, co-writer/co-director Vincent Paronnaud, and voice actress Chiara Mastroianni (6 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a winning animated film.] (F. Swietek)
Persepolis
Sony, 95 min., in French & English w/English subtitles, PG-13, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $39.98, June 24 Volume 23, Issue 4
Persepolis
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