Persepolis (2007)

A French animation about the Iranian revolution, Persepolis is based on a graphic novel, an autobiographical account of Majane Satrapi's child hood during the 1970's and 80's. It's a surprisingly funny and engaging movie, given the subject matter, and rooting the tale in Satrapi's daily life makes the plot accessible and brings a needed human element. Nearly everything reported in the news nowadays about Iran is negative, so it's good to see some positivity amongst the otherwise life-changing events that surrounded the Iranian revolution and the war with Iraq. 

I know embarrassing little about the country, then and now, so it was fascinating to see from a first person perspective (kinda) what life was like. The animation doesn't create a barrier to the story, it helps tell events with a great sweep, in a way that would cost far too much for a non-Hollywood live action movie. It also doesn't shy away from depicting the hardships, sexuality and bad language that Majane experiences as she moves from childhood to teenage years through to adulthood, all the while seeing how political events impact upon her life. It's not just a political movie though, as Majane's loves and family are also included, particularly her strong grandmother, voiced by Catherine Deneuve.

Persepolis is the latest in a line of 'different' animated movies I've seen, that don't conform to Disney/Pixar/Dreamworks rules. As much as I like those big studios, it's good to see animation taken in a different direction, be it artistic or political or anything else. Persepolis might not have been as beautiful to look at as The Secret of Kells, but the black and white animation (colour for present day) really worked in the film's favour. It also strangely reinforced that events that occurred did not just exist in black and white.