Persepolis

The film adaptation of Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novel series Persepolis is bold, challenging, touching, and full of life. Growing up in Iran during the 70s and 80s, Satrapi bears witness to the effects wrought upon her culture by the Islamic Revolution and Iran's war with Iraq. Difficult choices must be made: Satrapi's parents decide to stay in Iran rather than move away and find menial work; parties must still be attended to maintain some semblance of sanity, although being caught drunk or in possession of alcohol leads to severe punishment; upholding one's beliefs when they oppose the government's doctrines leads to imprisonment, torture, death and/or exile; and absurd rules develop governing the public relationships between women and men, one of which tricks Satrapi into a hasty marriage. She spends much of her childhood isolated while studying in Vienna and eventually returns home. But after a number of years back in Iran, her national spirit is crushed by an absurd brand of patriotism, and she leaves for France once and for all.

Directed by Satrapi and Vincent Paronnoud, Persepolis presents an enormous number of poignant insights regarding life as one tries to live it. For instance, dating can be problematic, attempting to promote your ideals when they differ from those of the dominant regime, difficult, international political realities which colonially structure your culture's post-revolutionary life, shitty, living as a boarder in a foreign country where you have no finances, complicated. Fortunately for Satrapi, she has a loving supportive family and a feisty independent Grandmother who help her along the way, assisting her spirits in overcoming the bitterness.

The realities Persepolis presents are harsh but the manner in which they are presented is tranquil, playful, passive (the animation is very cute and homely). At first glance, it seems as if the form employed by Persepolis directly contradicts the subject matter, but I'm convinced that this form is used in order to promote the 'don't-lose-hope-and-become-bitter' message that can also be found within Paradise Now. Even when faced with harsh political realities, it is important to continue to notice the sublime, whether it's the sun's rays striking through an unusually corrugated cloud formation, or a soldier willing to bend the rules, letting you off for some minor malfeasance (carrying a particularly unproportional penalty). Of course, this is very, very, hard, to do. Thus, as Satrapi's scrappy grandma states, you must be strong, and can't let the judgments of your surrounding community destabilize your confidence.

Persepolis also does what few films (apart from Goodbye Lenin) currently do: it employs a subtext which places socialism in a positive light. It’s refreshing to see a film which doesn't shy away from socialist politics, astutely reminding the public that capitalists cannot function without your labour.

A surprisingly acute examination of what it's like to mature on the Iranian left, Persepolis reminds us that going about this business of living requires a firm constitution that can absorb various contradictory actions as new circumstances challenge and reconstruct its integrity. Ignore the stereotypes, critically challenge, live, love, laugh, subvert, grow. Who knows, certainly not Satrapi, but she is curious enough to try and find out, which makes her adventure worth discovering.