Persepolis

If there is a more important, intelligent, provocative, and artistically whole movie than Persepolis this year, I haven’t seen it.  Persepolis flies in the face of conventional wisdom in so many ways—it is a black and white adult cartoon adapted from a comic book by the writer herself. It is the story of an Iranian woman who is unlike any Iranian I have seen on screen, yet very much like many Iranians who actually live in Iran. It is a product of the underground, of hidden literature, of truths that are whispered in Iran and ignored in America.  It is universal. It is a work of art.

The graphic novel on which it is based has received international acclaim, although here in America that acclaim has been confined to the small group of those who believe graphic novels can be serious art.  Marjene Satrapi wrote the story of her life, slightly fictionalized, as she led it under a fascist regime. Anyone who is familiar with accounts of life under Communism will immediately recognize the signs. Only, in this story, the Communists are the good guys—such as her uncle, arrested for his political beliefs by the Shah, then released, only to be arrested again, and finally killed for opposing the government. However, it is clear in Marjene’s story that the real battle is not about Communism or any other ism, it is about those who want freedom and   about governments that are frightened by freedom.

How does she experience freedom? Through whispered conversations with family members.  Through small acts of defiance.  Through rock music.  And, finally, through exodus. Yet exodus exacts a terrible price.  One of the themes of the film is that freedom has a price.  When Marjene leaves Iran, the cost to her is alien status in a world that doesn’t understand her, of being lost, of being cut off, maybe permanently, from the people and the culture she loves.

The voices of the film are provided by Catherine Deneuve (as the mother) and her daughter Chiara Mastroianni (as Marjene), who bring the characters to emotional and vulnerable life.  They succeed admirably in helping to further a story that is more powerful than any one performance.

In an interview, Satrapi said that, although the film has been banned by the Iranian government, she expected that it would be secretly dubbed, copied, and distributed, like so much other banned art.  We, however, have an advantage. We can walk into a movie theater and, without fear of arrest, sit in a comfortable seat, maybe munching on popcorn, and experience what it is like to be without those freedoms.

                                                           Edward Einhorn