Friday, October 03, 2008

Persepolis

I watched the movie Persepolis last night. It is an animated film about a woman coming of age during the Iranian Revolution and its aftermath. It could just as well be titled "The Taming of Marji".

The artwork is amazing and the story enagaging if predicatable. The character of the grandmother is marvelous. What struck me most in the course of the movie was the massive social transformation of Teheran from a very sophisticated metropole to a parochial one, and how a Westernized subculture persisted in the face of repression. It is also a view of the revolution that is not kind to either the Mullahs or the West.

I recommend it.

Anglachel

PS - Commenter Amelia reminds me that the book "Reading Lolita in Tehran" might be of interest to people who liked Persepolis. I also recommend the movie "The Color of Paradise" (spoilers in this write up) by Iranian director Majid Majidi. In fact, there is a sizeable Iranian cinema community with many works worth watching, such as Taste of Cherry and The White Balloon, to name two with US market exposure.

3 comments:

Amelia said...

Have you read "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafisi? Incredible book -- the author discusses the oppression of women by the 1979 Iranian Revolution by reference to works of (English)literature. If you love books, politics and are interested in women's rights, you'll love this book

Anglachel said...

Hi Amelia,

Yes, "Reading Lolita in Tehran" is great. I should also say that "Persepolis" started life as a graphic novel and so can be read as well as watched.

Thanks for the reminder,

Anglachel

Nick said...

The graphic novel is FAR superior to the film- read it!