Film Review of Persepolis by

Nailin Y. Negrn Nieto

Intermediate English, section 131 April 24
th
,2014.

Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis is an adult animation film based in the Islamic
Revolution in Iran. A tragi-comic autobiographical movie about growing up during the
revolution. It was first released on May 2007 in France. The movie is presented in colours and
the black-and-white style, all by Marc Jousset. Marjane, writer and director, explained that this
was so the place and the characters wouldn't look like foreigners in a foreign country but simply
people in a country to show how easily a country can become like Iran. The most startling
episode should be when Marjane hears and see Iranians screaming Death to the Shah!.

It is very interesting how Marjane manage to understand why the people do not want the
Shah to be alive. Her father explain it to her and she immediately begin to copy it. And this is not
a good response from a child. There should not be hate in a childs heart. This will have a great
impact on Marjenes life.

The cinematography is spectacular, the use of the colours calls the attention even dough it
is in black and white most of the movie. The film tells the story Iran and how the country got to
the Islamic era. It could not be more perfect for it to be from a womans perspective in a country
so controversial for the occidental world. Persepolis is more about Satrapi's own struggles with
freedom meaning, especially once she's safely pushed away in Europe, and falling to pieces over
bad boyfriend choices instead of whether the cops are going to haul her in for wearing lipstick.
The two main points Persepolis makes are that strife is relative, and all politics are personal.