filmbore pick of the week - Persepolis

Persopolis

Director: Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi

Screenplay: Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Paronnaud

Starring: Chiara Mastroianni, Gabrielle Lopes Benites, Catherine Deneuve, Simon Abkarian, Danielle Darrieux, François Jerosme

Year: 2007

Languages: French, Persian, German

UK rental release: August 2008

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I'm back to reviewing an animated movie again this week. And with another big season of comic book movies underway, it seems apt to respond with a filmboresque nod to the genre. This is one of the films I selected for my Top 10 Non-Spandex Comic Book Conversions back in March this year: the eye-opening, yet charming true life story of Marjane Satrapi in Persepolis.

Marjane Satrapi (Chiara Mastroianni, Carnage, Les Chansons d'Amour) has a plane to catch. Returning to her home country of Iran, she's incredibly hesitant to board. Holding herself back from committing to the flight, she lights a cigarette and ponders over her past...

Young Marji (Gabrielle Lopes Benites), however, isn't your normal Iranian girl. Outspoken and controversial, she finds it difficult to be restrained by the religious and political culture that her nation delivers her. Living in Tehran was always going to be difficult, no matter how much Bruce Lee she channels, or how much she believes that she will become a prophet. Yet, no one could stifle her ambition and imagination. 

Her parents, Tadji (Catherine Deneuve, Belle De Jour, Potiche) and Ebi (Simon Abkarian, Ararat, The Army Of Crime) regularly support the protests against he rising of the Shah Of Iran, fuelled by their self belief that a better society can be reached by opposing this rising tide. Amidst this brewing political time bomb, Marjane has the grounded support of another family member, her grandmother (Danielle Darrieux, Madame De..., 8 Women), her wise presence helping to influence and shape her into a strong willed individual. 

One day Marji's uncle, Anouche (François Jerosme) arrives for dinner, following a nine year stint in prison. He's a hero in her eyes, as he regales his experiences of running from the government and his rebellious ways. His tales inspire Marji, feeding her a brand new perspective towards her the ways of her country and where it could be leading.

It isn't long until the Iran-Iraq War breaks out. The state becomes governed by Islamic Fundamentalists, re-shaping the cultural landscape. Anouche is arrested once more and Marji has to witnesses her father being condescended by teenage officials, aggressively holding him at gunpoint just to check his papers. And when she has to see her critically ill uncle slowly wither away, with no chance of treatment allowed for him her disaffected disposition begins to truly evolve.

Marji begins to rebel in her own way, taking in western culture and flaunting it where she can. But as she's "bangs her head" to punk and metal in her room, Tadji worries that she could push things too far, fearing that she'd be apprehended. She decides to send Marjane to Vienna, Austria where she will not meet these barriers of oppression and can easily express herself; where she can be safe. 

However, over the coming years as she grows up, she'll struggle to adapt as her outspoken and naturally anarchistic nature will put her through some unexpected troubling times.

Adapted from Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novel, Persepolis is very personal coming of age story. It managed to scoop the Jury Prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival (a joint win with Carlos Reygadas' Silent Light) and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2008, unfortunately losing out to a well known rodent base Pixar number.

Even with providing an English version of the picture (which included such major names as Gena Rowlands and Sean Penn), it was always going to be difficult trying to win against that behemoth of an animation house. Especially when considering the nature of this film and the fact that it is, thankfully, traditionally animated. Rarely do we see this form in film today and this piece in particular thrives of this technique.

There's a wonderful mix on styles too, blending full colour with black-and-white animation to illustrate the past and the present, plus it's not frightened to move into more stylised methods when attempting to portray an alternative take on events. There's some incredibly strong imagery, especially in the scenes where we are shown the incidents during the rallies against the Shah's uprising. With silhouetted illustrations interpreting the events, these moments are both artistic and very moving.

The accompanying score helps with these alternating tones, morphing continually throughout, accentuating each scene delicately. Each piece of music pairs perfectly with the events as they unfold, gently emphasising the emotive senses you are already experiencing as you enjoy this fascinating account on Marjane's life.

In fact, all of these techniques feed into an intense array of character and enthusiasm, which is present throughout the entire picture. It doesn't let up for one moment. It's fast paced and electric, with rapid edits and cinematic angles. It's a broadly approachable film, while still retaining an honourable and respectable edge, especially when considering the source material.

Which is of course centred around the Islamic revolution in Iran. This film doesn't aim to alienate or brutalise religion in any sense, but doesn't hold back on the effect such a drastic change can have on a country. Yet, even with it's blunt portrayal of this period in Iran's history, Persepolis manages to handle the clash of the cultural and the political with tasteful regard, which is a perspective just as well balanced when see Marjane attempting to adapt to a more western way of life after her move to Vienna.

It's a very honest portrayal, not necessarily from the occurrences during Marjane Satrapi's life but her generosity in exposing her own being in story form to both open our eyes and entertain us. She doesn't paint herself as a kind of hero, or a gentle soul, but a rambunctious, candid, challenging girl and an even more forthright woman in her later years. It's this method that breathes life into Persepolis. The picture would have been superb if a more conventional manner was taken, but this authentic approach imbues the film with virtue and soul.

As extreme as her life has been, there is something we can all take from her story. Buried deep within the horrific events, and over bearing fundamentalist oppression is a tale of where a person should stand in the world. Marjane's struggle, whichever country she is in, awakens that troubling beast inside us all that asks "do I belong?". The fact this is prolifically present from her time as a young girl in Iran to a woman flying home to that same country only serves to accentuate that thriving urge in us to fit in; that longing we all try to conceal, in fear of exposing our own vulnerability. 

Yet, Marjane seems unafraid of lowering that guard, living a rich life for us all to spectate. Her experiences can enrich us all, and I'm glad that, instead of taking a more conventional route in expressing her experiences, she has chosen to tell her tale through the medium of animation and in a manner which mixes both drama and, quite surprisingly, plenty of humour (I'm a particular fan of the brilliant vignette where she sings "Eye Of The Tiger").

Altogether though, amidst the politics, comedy, religion, oppression and war, this film still manages to do something spectacular... it's actually quite sweet in an unusual way. Strangely, with its hefty and melancholic undertone, you come out the other end feeling refreshed and a little enlightened... not so much from the plot's core elements, exposing you to the bleakness and polarity found through merging cultures but from it's genuinely enthralling and beautiful composition. Hugely enjoyable!

I can't think of another film like this. It's a truly individual piece. Many may compare it to other satires, ones that may not take themselves too seriously, but there's so much importance in some the story's elements for that aspect to fully take form. While this may be the case, it's still brilliantly funny when it wants to be. A true original. 


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