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As delicious as the books film reviews

A view of Iran: The animation film ‘Persepolis’

Persepolis (English/Animated)

Voice cast: Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Gena Rowlands, Sean Penn, Iggy Pop

Directors: Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi

Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical “Persepolis” graphic novels have gained cult status. The novels speak of the precocious nine-year-old, Marjane, growing up in Tehran amid her liberal parents, her radical uncle Anouche who carves her swans out of bread while in jail, and her beloved, no-nonsense grandmother.

Marjane documents Iran’s tumultuous history — overthrowing the Shah, the war with Iraq, Ayatollah’s repressive regime, and the random torture and executions, with heart-breaking directness. Her parents fear for her outspokenness and at the age of 14, Marjane is sent to study in Austria. Apart from the regular teenage travails that she has to deal with, Marjane has also got to come to terms with the fact that she will always be treated as an outsider.

While she manages to make a sort of life for herself, and even fall in love, the terribly homesick Marjane returns to Iran. She integrates into the society, goes to university and even gets married. But at the age of 24, Marjane looks at her life anew and makes a tough decision.

The movie, co-directed by Marjane, who also wrote the screenplay, is faithful to the novels to a fault. The wry sense of humour in observation and the delicious visual puns are all there. The style of animation — black and white — is exactly like the book. It almost reminds you of the moving picture books we looked at as children. Only the scenes in the present are in colour and seemed a bit needless, but it would be mean spirited to quarrel with that decision.

“Persepolis”, which was nominated for an Oscar this year and also won the jury prize at Cannes, is part of NDTV Lumiere’s effort to bring world cinema to a wider audience.

MINI ANTHIKAD-CHHIBBER

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