Director Report Card: Marjane Satrapi (2007)

Marjane Satrapi is one of the few notable directors of which filmmaking can be described as something of a side hustle to what she's best known for. The Iranian born Satrapi would come to fame as a cartoonist, for her comic book – she insists on the term “comic book,” as opposed to “graphic novel” – autobiography “Persepolis.” It was when that critically acclaimed book made the leap to a cinema that Satrapi began to pursue movies as a career. She's since made four more features, some good, some weird, some obscure. Let's talk about 'em. 

1. Persepolis

Co-directed with Vincent Paronnaud

In 2003, Marjane Satrapi would publish her two-part illustrated memoir, “Persepolis,” to great acclaim. The book was such a success that it was already being taught in college classes, which is where I read it, a few years later. Shortly afterwards, there were offers to adapt the novels to film. One assumes there was interest in turning “Persepolis” into a live action movie. Yet Satrapi insisted on traditional animation, as she didn't want her story to become another tale of sad people in a foreign country. She would team with fellow comic artist Vincent Paronnaud, animation director Christian Desmares, and a small team of animators to complete the task of producing a feature length animated film for six million Euros.

While sitting in a French airport, Marjane Satrapi reflects on her life. She was born in Iran during the reign of the Shah. Her family is full of political progressives and her Uncle Annosh was a political prisoner, inspiring a fiery personality in Marjane. As the Shah is deposed, the family is initially thrilled. Yet as the religious fundamentalist government is voted into power, things soon become harder in Iran. As war with Iraq breaks up, Satrapi watches her home and family fall into crisis. Remaining outspoken, Marjane and her family make repeated attempt to get her out of Iran before the government arrests her.

“Persepolis” is a biography that functions from both a micro and macro perspective. It is about Marjane Satrapi's life, talking about specific incidents that happen to her and focusing on her experiences. Yet it's also a story about Iran, following the country through its biggest cultural changes of the last fifty years. The film manages to tell a personal story, that someone from any culture can easily relate to, while also sneaking in a great deal of history about a troubled region of the globe. It's a clever approach, that both entertains and educates. (Which is probably why the comic book version frequently has a presence in classrooms.)

The early parts of “Persepolis” are especially interesting for giving us a child's view on history. Marjane is a rambunctious girl, obsessed with Bruce Lee and wanting to grow up to a prophet. At first, she's pro-Shah but, after hearing stories from her uncle and grandmother, she violently turns on him. To the point that she's performing one-girl marches in the living room. Of course, little Marjane doesn't really understand the politics around this situation. Yet providing a youthful window on historical events is a charming way to make them relatable. In these early moments, “Persepolis” feels like a less classical “Hope and Glory.”

In an odd way, “Persepolis” functions as a comedy of sorts, despite its extremely heavy subject matter. Through the eyes of teenage Marjane, we see the under-the-radar ways her and her friends had to rebel during the Ayatollah's reign. An amusing sequence has her buying bootleg recordings of western musical groups from men in black suits, operating more like a drug dealer than a cassette seller. She rocks out to Iron Maiden in secret. When a group of older women catch her wearing Michael Jackson merchandise around her veil, she has to make up an elaborate lie to get out of trouble. It's a trivial form of teenage rebellion that speaks to the bigger issues that was facing the youth in the country.

What's most charming about “Persepolis” is Marji herself. She has a fiery personality and, for long stretches of the film, refuses to be ordered around. She yells at teachers when she discovers they are acting as propagandists. She curses out people spreading rumors about her in a café. She confronts a senile old land lady. Through her challenges, she maintains a spirit and energy that is all her own. Her personality is what builds up an otherwise pretty typical coming-of-age story arc. Marji struggles with authority, attempts to forges her own path, falls in love, gets her heart broken, stumbles into trouble, and returns home before finding herself. 

Yet, unavoidably, “Persepolis” has to touch on the toils of living through a war zone. As the Iran-Iraq War breaks out, the students have to just become accustomed to the ever-present threat of bombing, of frequent drills. People Marji and her family know are killed, with dead bodies on the street becoming a common sight. The threat just doesn't come from outside but from within, as the new government regime imprisons family members and inflicts horrible treatment on them. One of the most quietly effecting moments in the film occurs when Marjane's grandmother rages in frustration that her former window washer is now running a hospital and making decisions that are changing people's lives. 

Despite dropping us into a war zone, “Persepolis” never feels like a depressing foreign drama. Part of this is probably because its animated, which does add a certain degree of distance. Drawing much of its art design from Satrapi's comic, the film features memorable character designs and fluid animation. Only the brief framing device is in color, the rest of the movie playing out in black-and-white, a choice that characterizes these scenes as far-flung memories and also provides an immediately distinct visual style. “Persepolis” proceeds with a style that is immediately charming and interesting.

Telling this story in animation also allows for a number of touches that would've been outside a live action film's scope. When Marjane's parents or uncle tell of Iran's history, it comes to life as elaborate puppet shows, often in the background of other shots. Since this is a movie that lives in memories, its sequences frequently adopt a dream-like style. Such as the bombing of a village being recalled as high-contrast black-and-white images. Or a reoccurring memory of Marjane's, about her grandmother filling her bra with flowers so she always smells nice. By the time those flowers fall from the heavens, you feel embraced by the movie's melancholy atmosphere. 

Since “Persepolis” is a cartoon, it also has a chance to go off on exaggerated flights of fancy. When Marjane describes her early twenties growth spurt, when she changes from a dowdy teenager to a shapely young woman, her transformation plays out on-screen in comical fashion. From an early age, she discusses encounters with God and Karl Marx, which amusingly happen on-camera in very literal fashion. The movie's most joyful moment is an impromptu sing-along to “Eye of the Tiger.” The film's occasional bursts of cartoony visuals continuously delights the viewer, surprising us in the best ways. 

Unfortunately, as sometimes happens with biographic stories, “Persepolis” starts to meander in its last third. That sing-along sequence is really the climax of the movie, where Marjane makes the decision to return home, move forward with her life, and rededicate herself to her goals. Yet the story continues past this point, into a series of increasingly dreary episodes that feel underdeveloped. Such as Marjane's failed marriage or her various encounters while living in Europe. This eventually ends the movie on a note that is not just downbeat but also aimless feeling. I guess real life is like that more often than not. 

There are two versions of “Persepolis” available. A version with the original French dialogue and an English dub. The English dub is hard to recommend. While Gena Rowlands gives a spirited performance as the grandmother, Sean Penn and Iggy Pop – who you'd think would be better skilled at using his voice – give very bored sounding performances as Marji's father and Uncle Anoush. Chiara Mastroianni and Catherine Deneuve, as Marjane and her mother, are the only actors in both versions. Which is probably why they give the most lively performances in the dub. I suppose it should go without saying that the original audio is the one to go with but I watched both for you, dear reader.

While not without flaws, “Persepolis” is largely an entertaining, fascinating, and heart-felt film throughout. It looks great, the animation lively and fluid. It tells a story that is charming and funny while also giving us a very personal look at recent history in a foreign country. The movie was honored with an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature, which it lost to another France-adjacent animated feature. (It was also France's submission for Best Foreign Language Film but it wouldn't receive a nomination.) Yet the movie still made Oscar history, as Satrapi was the first – and so far, only – Iranian woman to be nominated in the category. [Grade: B+]