Persepolis is an animated film adapted from it’s graphic novel. The plot was essentially the autobiography of Marjane Satrapi, an Iranian girl forced to flee country twice due to political instability brought about the Iranian Revolution. It was a hard decision she eventually had to make because of the persecution of people with leftist ideologies, the oppression of women, and the new propagandist curriculum being taught in school. This had to be one of the best films I’d ever seen for a variety of reasons that I’ll try my best to articulate my feelings while discussing a few of the countless themes presented. First off, the film starts off with Marjane as a child and we can see not only what a happy child she was but also how hopeful everyone was for the future of their country. They really believed that justice would come through and that the revolution would end for the best. Unfortunately none of that came true which made it very disheartening to see Marjane’s uncle die in vain. This is the depressing reality of revolutions not just in Iran but other countries in the world. What’s more is that I think it’s interesting they showed what I assumed to be an American or British person with a heavy accent speaking in french and deceiving the leader of Iran to take their oil. Makes you wonder to what extent would so many revolutions around the world could have ended like had it not been for the intervention of all those majority anglo and iberian countries.
Having the story told through a child’s end in the beginning do a good job at creating a sense of broken innocence. Thus, we see how Marjane dealt with such heavy events at an early age which reflects the situation that those who grow up in war must have gone through. After all she lost family members, friends, neighbors and the carefree atmosphere she grew up in. If Marjane was a bit rebellious as a child then it seemed as though the death of her uncle changed her in that it intensified that aspect to her personality. This can be seen in how she back talks to authority figures and in fear that her inability to be passive will land her in serious trouble, her parents send her France. In my opinion this demonstrated how oppressive regimes have no place for strong women. Not to say that the other women weren’t, only that it wasn’t in Marjane to tolerate bullshit.
While there were many heart-wrenching scenes in the film from the traumas she experienced, I think the one that really takes the cake is seeing Marjane leave her grandmother and remark that she never saw her again. Her grandmother grounded Marjane in situations where she felt out of control. She was her source of stability, she was wise, funny, a feminist, understanding and open-minded in contrast to the teachers and nuns Marjane came across. In my opinion, I believe she represented what Iran was before the revolution so, in addition to Marjane’s mother forbidding her to return, her death to me seemed like that era was really over.
Throughout the film, hardly any of Marjane’s friends are shown, for what purpose did the author make this decision?
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