PersepolisOverview and Synopsis
- Persepolis
- Opened December 25, 2007 | Runtime:1 hr. 35 min.
PG-13
mature thematic material including violent images, sexual references, language and brief drug content
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We meet 9-year-old Marjane when the fundamentalists first take power; she cleverly outsmarts the “social guardians” and discovers punk, ABBA and Iron Maiden, while living with the terror of government persecution and the Iran/Iraq war; as a teenager, her parents send her to school in Austria in fear for her safety and she has to combat being equated with the religious fundamentalism and extremism she fled her country to escape. Marjane gains acceptance in Europe but finds herself homesick, and returns to Iran to be with her family, though it means putting on the veil and living in a tyrannical society. She enters art school and marries, 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 decision to leave for France, optimistic about her future, shaped indelibly by her past.Read More
*Note: Film is presented in French and dubbed in English. Please check with your local theater to find out if this film is presented in French or English.
- Cast: Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Gena Rowlands, Sean Penn, Iggy Pop
- Director: Marjane Satrapi
- Genres: Biography [feature], Drama, Coming-of-Age
Critic Reviews
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"...it's a paean to the universality of human experience, a testament to the endurance of individuality during great political and fanatical upheaval, and a reminder that even the most complex situations, identities and stories are heartbreakingly simple."
Los Angeles Times
- Carina Chocano
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"...a deeply affecting tale of the power of resilience and an unflagging sense of humor..."
USA Today
- Claudia Puig
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"...this autobiographical tour de force is completely accessible and art of a very high order."
Variety
- Lisa Nesselson