From bad to worse, but in a great way
Persepolis is an interesting film. It brings comedy to the screen, but also a bit of drama (if not a lot of drama at times). Seeing the world of Iran from the viewpoint of a young girl is breathtaking and frightening.
As most have described it, it is considerably a coming-of-age film, but it is also much more than that. For an American, like myself, it was an eye-opening piece. For the majority of news outlets across this great land of ours, they tend to show the worst of the middle east. In some respects, the view of the middle east has been close to third world. Thanks to television, the absence of true historical substance in pre-college schools, the viewpoint held by many Americans tends to be the worst when it comes to the country of Iran. This reviewer certainly didn’t know much about Iran and its history, only that a ‘crazy’ leader led the country with an extreme Islamic grip. I had no idea that Iran was once a great country, filled with idealist and opinions. Again, this is generally left out of the public view in America, but it certainly is an eye-opener in Persepolis.
We follow the life of Marjane Satrapi, a young girl living outside of the turmoil and violence that Iran has grown into. Her parents are outspoken with the emperor and his current regime. When the people of Iran finally get what they want, a change of guards, they regretfully get something they don’t want… a dictatorship, which flushes the opinion of all the loyal country folk. Run by an iron fist of Islamic extremist views, anything outside of these views can be and more than likely were punishable by prison or death. War torn with its people and with Iraq, Marjane’s parents decide that her safety and schooling is too important to reside in such a restrictive and dangerous environment, so they see her off to Europe. With her time in Europe, she finds herself loving the culture, trying to fit into somewhere that doesn’t easily accept her and finds herself longing to return home, regardless of war.
Persepolis is one of the most amazing films of 2007, and even more so on Blu-ray in 2008. It lends so much to how Iran became Iran. It helps sort out the perception of the country and its people from the perception that American media and schools have provided. Outside of blaming the American media and schools, this reviewer at least, you have to blame yourself for not looking further into other countries historical backgrounds. Perception is such a delicate thing that swings back and forth at any given moment. The movie fills in the gaps that most people don’t know and gives us a nice general understanding about the situation Iranian people are living in at the moment. For a movie that was banned in Lebannon, it really says something about the truth of this film.
Generally, in this paragraph I describe the film in a broken down, through-the-crew way. This time, I’m ending it here. The movie is powerful, it’s a masterpiece and if you truly want to start learning more about the ‘enemy’ (I mean this with sarcasm), then look no further than Persepolis. Call it a story if you want, but it is certainly more powerful than that.
Back it up by putting it on Blu-ray
Nothing sends home a message more than enhanced audio and video. This Blu-ray makes the animated film that much better and beautiful than its DVD counter-part. It makes a difference.
Here’s what you’re getting in the special features portion of the Blu-ray: