vernon film society
Bringing the best in world and Canadian film to film lovers of Vernon and the North Okanagan
PERSEPOLIS
Director: Marjane Satrapi
Cast: Gabrielle Lopes, Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Simon Abkarian, Danielle Darrieux
Run Time: 95 minutes
Country: France
Language: English
Rating: Not yet rated
"Told with style and passion, Persepolis is one of the most unique, and moving, animated films ever made." Lewis Beale, Film Journal International
Reviews: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/persepolis/
Before debuting to much fanfare at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival®, where it played to packed theatre audiences as a Special Presentation, PERSEPOLIS was well-known as the autobiographic novel of talented graphic novelist, illustrator and children‘s book author Marjane Satrapi.
Having won the Jury Prize at Cannes and the Special Jury Prize at the Cinemanila International Film Festival, the much-anticipated animated adaptation PERSEPOLIS has been busy winning crowds over internationally.
PERSEPOLIS is Satrapi‘s darkly humorous take on her experiences as a young Muslim woman Marjane, played by Chiara Mas-troianni ( CARNAGES, LES CHANSONS D‘AMOUR), who comes of age in Tehran – during the rule of the Shah, the Islamic Revolu-tion and the Iran-Iraq War. Fit with an exceptional cast including her Mother‘s voice played by Catherine Deneuve (8 FEMMES, LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES) and Father's voice played by Simon Abkarian, (ARARAT, CASINO ROYALE) PRESEPOLIS dares to examine heavy issues through the animated grace of storytelling like no other. We follow the misadventures of Marjane from mischievous little girl in Iran to rebellious teenager finding first love amid decadent anarchists at a snooty French school in Vienna. The film then charts the young woman‘s heavy-hearted return to Iran, and finally her emigration to Paris. Marjane's family history reveals how her Communist relatives who fought against the Shah were then persecuted even more harshly by the Islamists who took their place. Amidst these harsh realities the film maintains a refreshing levity as each haunting event is balanced with Satrapi‘s charming animation style – bold, graphic, and simple yet forcefully stylized.
The universal appeal of PERSEPOLIS is such that people everywhere can relate to the conflict between a warm and open home life and the harsh outside world. Some of the funniest moments in the film come from Marjane‘s interpretation of politics as child; whispering chants of political protest marching to bed. Or, the Islamic authorities‘ demonization of American popular culture, when Marjane's teachers decry her Nike shoes as ―punk. Overall the film manages not only to be faithful to the much-loved books, but to create from them a daring cinematic experience.
"Any stragglers still unconvinced that animation can be an exciting medium for both adults and kids will run out of arguments in the face of Persepolis." – Lisa Nesselson, Variety
