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Great film. 2010-06-14

Reviewer: Niktastar

Watching "Persepolis" is a great way to get a glimpse into life in Iran. The Iranian people have been held hostage by there government since the 'Revolution.' Hopefully, the Regime will fall within another decade and the people can begin to pick up the pieces and build a better nation.

Remain in Iran with its trials and tribulations or face the challenge of immigration? 2010-02-06

Reviewer: Christopher Culver

PERSEPOLIS is an animated adaptation by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud of Satrapi's critically acclaimed graphic novels which recount her upbringing in revolutionary-era Iran and difficult adaptation to Europe. The film combines both a historical presentation of Iran's tribulations with poignant observations of the immigrant experience.

PERSEPOLIS has a few twists and turns like every Bildungsroman, but its course is fairly simple. As the film opens, we see the last days of the Shah's regime and the hope for a new, free country. The release of political prisoners bring Marjane's communist uncle Mantoush home, who tries to instill a desire for justice in his niece. After Khomeini turns the country into a theocratic regime and Iran is mired in a long, pointless war with Iraq, Marjane is sent to a boarding school in Vienna. Here she becomes ashamed of her background, has a constant series of feuds with landlords, and eventually ends up homeless. After she collapses in the cold and is taken to hospital, she decides to return to Iran. But now she finds that instead of the homeland she missed, the country had become even more hardline and corrupt. At the end of the film, Marjane arrives in France, determined to make it in Europe while staying true to herself.

Though the tribulations of Satrapi's life were great, PERSEPOLIS is able to depict many things with humour. From Tehran's shady trenchcoat-clad sellers of forbidden music casettes to Marjane's ecstasy in a well-stocked European supermarket, there are a lot of laughs in the film. It sometimes feels a lightweight venture -- the presentation of Iran's history tends toward the didactic, while Marjane's experiences in Austria are never given as much depth as they might have been. Still, it's entertaining and often touching, and I'd recommend it.

I saw this film in the original French, so I cannot comment on the voice acting in the English-language version.

One of the best French movies! 2010-01-30

Reviewer: Tshering Tobgay

The animation is superb, and the characters are rich and exciting. A great story line of a girls journey from one culture to another and growing up whilst doing it.

Persepolis DVD 2009-12-13

Reviewer: Ellen H. Nesin

The book is definitely better than the DVD. The movie leaves a lot out. I wouldn't really waste my money on it. It is also in cartoon form like the drawings in the book.

Retains the flavor of the original 2009-12-03

Reviewer: Jean E. Pouliot

There has never been anything like "Persepolis" -- Marjane Satrapi's graphic adaptation of life during the Iranian revolution. The book's stark black and white images perfectly suited the horror of life under the Shah and the Ayatollahs. Could a movie adaptation ever do justice to the Satrapi's harrowing account? Thankfully, it pretty much did.

The movie more or less follows the narrative of Satrapi's work, following her from an idealistic (and a bit sadistic!) young girl through her struggles with the repressive forces of the revolution, to her wastrel exile in Vienna, and to her return to her home country. The character list from the book is a drastically simplified, focusing mostly on Satrapi's beloved grandmother, an adored uncle who dies in prison and her protective and secularized parents. Satrapi's artistic style, one of the neat things about the book, was retained, but expanded enough to allow the film to breathe. This is a true adaptation -- not a slavish repetition of the book's style and themes. I only wish that it could have been be longer. Focusing on the entire story of Persepolis I and II might have been a mistake.

A fine adaptation that I hope compels its audience to pick up the marvelous original!