Editor Reviews:

Product Description:
Persepolis is the poignant story of a young girl coming-of-age in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. It is through the eyes of precocious and outspoken nine-year-old Marjane that we see a people's hopes dashed as fundamentalists take power forcing the veil on women and imprisoning thousands. Clever and fearless she outsmarts the "social guardians" and discovers punk ABBA and Iron Maiden. Yet when her uncle is senselessly executed and as bombs fall around Tehran in the Iran/Iraq war the daily fear that permeates life in Iran is palpable. As she gets older Marjane's boldness causes her parents to worry over her continued safety. And so at age fourteen they make the difficult decision to send her to school in Austria. Vulnerable and alone in a strange land she endures the typical ordeals of a teenager. In addition Marjane has to combat being equated with the religious fundamentalism and extremism she fled her country to escape. Over time she gains acceptance and even experiences love but after high school she finds herself alone and horribly homesick. Though it means putting on the veil and living in a tyrannical society Marjane decides to return to Iran to be close to her family. After a difficult period of adjustment she enters art school and marries all the while continuing to speak out against the hypocrisy she witnesses. At age 24 she realizes that while she is deeply Iranian she cannot live in Iran. She then makes the heartbreaking decision to leave her homeland for France optimistic about her future shaped indelibly by her past.System Requirements:Running Time: 95 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ANIMATION/ANIME Rating: PG-13 UPC: 043396225251 Manufacturer No: 22525

Amazon.com:
A fascinating and wholly unexpected take on Iran’s Islamic revolution beginning in the 1970s, Persepolis is an enthralling, animated feature about a spirited young woman who spends her life trying to deal with the consequences of her nation’s history. Based on an autobiographical comic book by Marjane Satrapi, the story concerns Marji (voiced as a teenager and woman by Chiara Mastroianni), whose natural fire and precociousness are slowly dampened by the rise of religious extremists. Marji grieves over the imprisonment and execution of a beloved uncle, then begrudgingly adapts to ever-tightening rules about dress, social mores, education for women, and expectations about marriage and divorce. Along the way, her grandmother (Danielle Darrieux) and mother (Catherine Deneuve) help keep Marji grounded during her rebellious teens and encourage her to find life beyond Iran’s borders, a decision that proves both a blessing and curse. An unique window onto a crucial chapter of 20th century history, Persepolis is graphically engaging with its black-and-white, bold lines and feeling of repressed energy, fit to burst. The emotional content is so strong that after awhile, one almost forgets the film is a cartoon. Satrapi co-wrote the screenplay and co-directed the film along with animator Vincent Paronnaud. --Tom Keogh

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Rating : - What went wrong!
With all do respect regarding all the work that went into making this wonderful film, I have one major critique. Since when do Iranians speak French? and why are they speaking French?
The French language is simply distracting, especially in the first half of the film. I constantly had to remind my self that this story is based in Iran and not in France, and only when I would hear an Iranian name!

There are many wonderful animations made in various languages and they seem to work majority of the time except for this particular story line, and for many reasons.
The animation is minimal/monochromatic, and cultural references are kept to a minimum even though the cultural identity of the film, and the cultural identity of the main character are very much the center pieces of the story. More importantly the writing is based on historical political events, and not just a simple satire.

As a result, looking at characters dressed in modern western clothes, calling out Iranian names in French accents makes one think that the characters are based in a home in Paris during the turmoils of Iranian revolution. With everyone in black and white, and a story based on such a major historical event just deserves some damn authenticity, and not characters who can barely pronounce their own names correctly.

I have one suggestion to the French speaking creators of Persepolis,lets make an animation film about the French revolution in Arabic only!! lets see how distracting that will be, or even better in Algerian..