Persepolis

“Persepolis,” the ancient capital of Persia, is Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical story based on her graphic comics about growing up in Iran. It is also a glimpse into Iran before, during and after the 1979 revolution that ended the reign of the shah and resulted in a repressive Muslim theocracy. Nine-year old Marjane is a fun-loving child who admires the shah until her father gives her a crash course in 20th century Iranian history, explaining that the current shah is a dictator in a long string of dictators. She learns that her uncle is currently a torture victim in one of the shah’s prisons. Her uncle is freed after the revolution, but when a restrictive Islamic government is unanimously voted in, her left-leaning uncle is again arrested (and later executed) and women are required to keep their hair and forehead covered. When Iraq declares war on Iran and bombs start falling, Marjane’s parents decide to send her to school in Vienna, where she will be safe. Unfortunately, although freer in Vienna, she discovers that there are other kinds of restrictions. With animation going to the computer graphics typically used by Pixar, “Persepolis” demonstrates a marked contrast with its stark use of black and white and hand-drawn scenes. Satrapi wrote and co-directed this coming-of-age story and while it has universal elements such as rebelliousness and the arrogance of youth, it gives us a story from a different cultural perspective. French with subtitles. (1/24/08)