Thanks to many of you who attended our Movie of the Week yesterday. Anyone interested can borrow my copy (it’s 90 + mins) or rent it from the MRC or Blockbusters. This film (based on the Graphic Novel by the same name) follows the life of young Marjane Satrapi from about 1978-1990. It presents the overthrow of the Shah as a Nationalist struggle, one that was fought by Marxists and Islamic Fundamentalists against the Western-leaning Shah. In the end the Theocrats won out … fought a long difficult war against Iraq and suppressed human rights in the process. There are many other themes to consider in this film including: the portrayal of the liberal grandmother, Marjane’s identity crises (growing up in Austria & not fitting in there or in Iran), and more. Please share your thoughts or post questions about the film here. THANKS!
Persepolis
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I found the movie Persepolis to be truly refreshing, laugh-out-loud funny, and informative. Even though the film was presented so differently than most other popular films (particularly because it was a cartoon, but also because of it's unique subject matter and odd sense of humor), I enjoyed it just as much, if not more than any of the films I have seen recently.
One of the most important characters in the movie is Marjane's grandmother. The relationship between Marjane and her grandmother is central to the story, and the portrayal of the grandmother was quite interesting. Marjane's grandmother is presented as lively, outspoken liberal who is a constant source of advice and guidance for Marjane. It is obvious that the grandmother has strong feminist beliefs and is willing to fight for her freedom. She is an incredibly strong, sharp-minded, and independent woman, yet she still gives off a grandmotherly tenderness and femininity. Marjane is very much like her grandmother in the sense that they are both rebels and do not like to follow rules that they do not agree with. It seems that Marjane looks up to her grandmother and sees her as a role model, friend, and supporter.
One of my favorite scenes in the film was when Marjane goes to her grandmother, crying, and tells her that she is having problems with her husband. The grandmother's reaction is hilarious€”she does not understand what the big deal is and tells Marjane that she will be fine if she gets a divorce, and in fact "the first marriage is just practice for the next one!"
The death of Marjane's grandmother at the end of the film can be seen as a symbol of the loss of freedom and independence for Iranian women. Marjane's grandmother represented the strength of women, and when she died, it was a symbol of a lost struggle. Marjane, who made her way back to France and out of Iran, had also lost the struggle.