Monday 9 February 2009

Persepolis [2007]


Directed by Marjane Satrapi, adapted from an acclaimed graphic novel of the same name written by her, and based on the fascinating life of the director/graphic novelist herself, Persepolis is an animated movie the kind of which I have never seen before. The general populace has come to expect popular animation movies to be bittersweet comedies; in that perspective Persepolis hasn’t just broken the mould, it has achieved something markedly revolutionary. Narrated through the POV of a girl growing up in the turbulent and regressive times of the violent Islamic revolution in Iran, this is a dark, intensely psychological, and surreal coming-of-age tale of the rebellious, free-spirited, outspoken and at times neurotic girl, who has seem ’em all – deeply idealistic socialist ideologies inspired from then Soviet Union, moral policing of Islamic fundamentalism, and the ultra-liberal world of Europe. Told through stark black and white imageries that instantly manage to captivate the viewers, a very personal narrative filled with deep humanism as well as acerbic satire, and freely peppered with nods to pop-culture, this is an irreverent and genre-bending work that should be remembered as a cornerstone for animation films.








Director: Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Paronnaud
Genre: Animation/Biopic/Psychological Drama/Political Satire/Social Satire/Avant-Garde/Experimental
Language: French
Country: France

4 comments:

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

you do a brilliant job. this is my visit to your blog and i loved it.
i watched dev d yesterday and was totally blown. looking forward to reading your take on that.

Shubhajit said...

Thanks a lot for the good words. And its always a pleasure to make a new acquaintance.

Yeah, I too have watched Dev D, so you can expect a review shortly. Keep visiting.

Anonymous said...

The film manages to say such profound things just like that, right?

Shubhajit said...

Yeah, it does. But its irreverence and quirkiness prevents the matter from appearing heavy.