Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.

Oh, man, do I love this movie. I reviewed it along with THE KITE RUNNER a little while ago, and I’m excited to check out Capone’s take on it:

Hey all. Capone in Chicago here.

My Number 22 movie of 2007 was this was this absolutely lovely work based on Marjane Satrapi's (who also serves as the film's co-director along with Vincent Paronnaud) simply drawn but utterly unique, two-part graphic novel of the same name. Told mostly in elegantly realized, clean, usually black-and-white line drawings, this animated feature tells the story of Marjane's childhood growing up in turbulent and changing times in Iran, as the Shah was on the way out and Islamic fundamentalism was on the rise. A natural rebel, Marjane discovers Western culture—particularly hard and punk rock music—at an early age, and it makes her parents fearful for her safety in the newly oppressive Iranian society. After the war with Iraq begins in earnest and Marjane's uncle is executed, her parents feel compelled to send her to Austria for schooling, where she is, at first, looked upon with suspicion.

What I found most fascinating is the complex and layered way Satrapi deals with the prejudice she experienced in Europe, which eventually dissipated as she made more friends (even a boyfriend!). The idea that this teenage girl had to go through this critical developmental period without parental guidance and in a foreign land so different from her home is almost unfathomable. And as much as she became accustomed to her new surroundings, her homesickness was devastating and inevitable, as was her eventual journey home to a vastly changed place. This French production uses some great local talent, including Chiara Mastroianni as the voice of Marjane and Catherine Deneuve as Marjane's mother (Deneuve is Mastroianni's real-life mother); the film is actually France's official selection for the Academy Awards' Best Foreign Language Film prize.

There is something inherently delicate and moving about PERSEPOLIS, both as a work of visual art and as a heartbreaking piece of storytelling. It becomes clear early upon her return to Iran that Marjane's anti-establishment tendencies and her overwhelming need to point out inequalities and wrongdoings in Iranian society will not go unnoticed or unpunished. She gets married, and as much as she'd clearly like to play the good wife, her sense of justice and spirit of defiance will always prevail. She's exactly the kid of woman her nation needs, which means she's exactly the kind that cannot be allowed to stay in the country. Her decision to leave Iran and move to France is so painful and is portrayed so masterfully in this film, I almost let go with the waterworks. Not that this film is nothing but one heavy moment after another; it is certainly told with an immense amount of humor mixed with many poignant and sorrowful moments. PERSEPOLIS is one of the most visually engaging and flawlessly scripted works I saw last year. I implore you to give this utterly original work a shot. There's no way you'll be disappointed.

Capone