Persepolis (2007)

Directed by Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud. Starring (voices) Chaira Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Gabriele Lopes, Danielle Darrieux, François Jerosme, Simon Abkarian, Tilly Mandelbrot. [PG-13]

Involving and imaginatively-told autobiographical story of a young girl named Marjane (“Marji”) living in Iran during the 1979 revolution. Her family are anti-Shah protesters, but be careful what you wish for, because after the ruler is overthrown, fundamentalists take over and impose strict Islamic law; as disillusioned and rebellious Marji comes of age, she learns that she may not know where exactly she belongs, but she knows that it’s not in her homeland. Universal themes of religious intolerance, endurance, freedom and identity are impossible to overlook, and the creator’s sense of humor saves the material from becoming too bleak or strident. The unique animation style, which resembles its graphic novel source, uses a flat and blocky black & white art technique that combines literal and impressionistic movement in both the imagery and storytelling (framing sequences in the present day contain color). The English-language dub replaces a few of the original voice actors with the likes of Gena Rowlands, Iggy Pop, and Sean Penn.

82/100