Saturday October 25     Persepolis     12A cert

France/USA  2008 Directed by Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi, 95 minutes

Persepolis is the cinematic translation of writer/director Satrapi’s graphic novels. It charts a young woman's fascinating life during a turbulent period of Iran’s recent past. Her progress from childhood to adult life is set against a background of revolution and war. It gives a detailed look at the impact of religion and politics on family life, and portrays the erosion of civil liberties at a time when just about everything the West takes for granted has become either a flogging or hanging offence.

Yet our heroine’s increasing awareness and gradual politicisation are handled with humour and a lightness of touch, a desire to discuss without outright condemnation, that prevents the film from ever becoming a ‘message movie’. It also shows how strong and adaptable people are, how important family and a good sense of humour can be, and does so with arguably greater success than news footage or documentary could achieve. The striking visual style is simple but remarkably effective, like an animated woodcut, its black and white perfectly suited to the austerity of the political environment. Spirited, funny, and engaging, don’t miss your chance to catch it.

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