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Persepolis (2007)

Persepolis Poster

Movie Info


Genre

Animation, Drama

Release Date

December 25, 2007

MPAA Rating

PG-13

Duration

95 min.

Studio

Sony Pictures Classics

Official Site

click here

Critics Reviews :  Go! Watch this movie. You'll regret if not seeing it.    Reader's Reviews :  Be the 1st!

Cast and Crew


Director

Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi

Producer

Marc-Antoine Robert, Xavier Rigault

Screenwriter

Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi

Starring

  • Sean Penn as (voice: English version)
  • Gena Rowlands
  • Catherine Deneuve
  • Iggy Pop as (voice)
  • Chiara Mastroianni
  • Simon Abkarian
  • Danielle Darrieux

Movie Story


Marjane Satrapi's critically acclaimed memoir, "Persepolis," comes to life in the witty and heartfelt animated feature directed by Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud.

"Persepolis" is the poignant story of a young girl coming-of-age in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. It is through the eyes of precocious and outspoken nine-year-old Marjane that we see a people's hopes dashed as fundamentalists take power - forcing the veil on women and imprisoning thousands. Clever and fearless, she outsmarts the "social guardians" and discovers punk, ABBA and Iron Maiden. Yet when her uncle is senselessly executed and as bombs fall around Tehran in the Iran/Iraq war the daily fear that permeates life in Iran is palpable.

As she gets older, Marjane's boldness causes her parents to worry over her continued safety. And so, at age fourteen, they make the difficult decision to send her to school in Austria. Vulnerable and alone in a strange land, she endures the typical ordeals of a teenager. In addition, Marjane has to combat being equated with the religious fundamentalism and extremism she fled her country to escape. Over time, she gains acceptance, and even experiences love, but after high school she finds herself alone and horribly homesick.

Though it means putting on the veil and living in a tyrannical society, Marjane decides to return to Iran to be close to her family. After a difficult period of adjustment, she enters art school and marries, all the while continuing to speak out against the hypocrisy she witnesses. At age 24, she realizes that while she is deeply Iranian, she cannot live in Iran. She then makes the heartbreaking decision to leave her homeland for France, optimistic about her future, shaped indelibly by her past.

Movie Stills


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Reader's Reviews


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MOVIE REVIEWS BY CRITICS

“..full of warmth and surprise, alive with humor and a fierce independence of spirit..”
by A.O. Scott [NY Times]
“..tense, absorbing and deeply touching coming-of-age story..”
by Gene Seymour [Newsday]
“..an emotionally engaging, brilliantly written and superbly animated drama that demands to be seen..”
by Matthew Turner [ViewLondon]