Respond to the screening in 1-2 paragraphs. You may include what interested you, impacted you, or how your perspective on ME politics changed after watching the film.
11 thoughts on “Persepolis”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Respond to the screening in 1-2 paragraphs. You may include what interested you, impacted you, or how your perspective on ME politics changed after watching the film.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I really enjoyed the movie, and thought the makers of the film did a particularly good job translating the humorous and endearing aspects of the original books into film. As a medium, I thought the film was able to lend more power to some aspects of the story than was able to be conveyed by the print version, such as the war scenes and the depictions of the Iranian martyrs running blindly onto the battlefield.
I agree with many of the points raised in discussion today about the film, particularly with how the film was able to humanize and create empathy for characters living in a part of the world so poorly understood by the Western world. I remembered Professor Mecham’s citation of the statistic in class about how the Iranian people are the 9th most liberal population in the world, and saw how this statistic was shown subtly in the attitudes of characters in the film, both main characters and secondary ones. It was also very cool to see Marjane’s father’s explanation of Iranian political history and how the Shah came to power because of the time we spent reading about the history of the modern Middle East and because it showed somewhat of a more Iranian than Western perspective of the historical facts.
The most interesting part of the movie for me though was getting to see the revolution from a citizen’s first-person perspective. Reading about the facts of revolutions in history books can only give you the skeleton of a portrait of the event, because oftentimes history books convey abstract statistical figures and changes in general thought process and opinion, while omitting the human effects of revolution. The movie gave a more personal representation of the events of the 1979 Revolution, showing how various post-revolutionary institutions (the Guardians of the Faith, etc) interacted with and came into conflict with the population, as well as showing the human costs of the war and a radical regime in power.
I thought Persepolis was an incredibly powerful film—especially coupled with this week’s readings on civil society and the Iranian state. The beginning of the movie highlights the secrets of the domestic sphere: Marji’s father hiding the wine; Marji’s mother refusing to wear a veil; Marji’s personal punk rock phase. The movie further emphasizes the fear and paranoia that go alongside a secret domestic sphere, as Marji supplicates in front of her two Iranian school teachers and Marji’s grandmother lies about having diabetes in front of the two Iranian guards.
I was struck by the Satrapi family’s courage, in the face of such a repressive regime. Were they representative of a small segment of domestic politics, or did the majority of society embrace the ideology of the Freedom Movement? Did the Satrapi’s place in the upper echelon of Iranian society facilitate more liberal political expression? It seems that the Satrapi family cut a lot of corners–commissioning a new passport and sending Marji to Switzerland to avoid the war. Both of these practices require money. Did affluence invite more liberal political expression? Is money the only way to step between the dual narratives of Iranian society?
To start off… I enjoyed watching Persepolis. It definitely is a great addition to our readings. The first time I watched this film was last year in France because my younger french brother, who is into graphic novels, told me that “Persepolis” was far from being a disney movie and très bon. When I watched it the first time, I focused more on understanding what was happening politically in Iran and how it intertwined and affected the Satrapi family. I barely possessed any knowledge on this country and how the society within it has responded, but I finished the movie feeling that I had a slight understanding of the turmoil that has happened. This time around when I watched Persepolis, I was able to focus on the Marji and her personal point of view of Iran as an Iranian girl. Throughout her childhood and adult life, she struggled to find herself while trying to still love her country, which she felt more and more estranged from as she got older. From our readings and this film, I gather that many Iranians can relate to Marji’s sentiments. One of my favorite characters is the grandma who reminds Marji to be proud of where she came from no matter what. The grandma is also an endearing character. Additionally, I love how the simple black and white animation contrasts with the complexity of Iran’s social, political, and religious structures in addition to Marji’s own life. Oh- and yeah- definitely read the graphic novel (it came before the film). It’s contains even more details about Marji’s life and has an even sharper sense of humor.
Persepolis was a fabulous move. The animation was beautiful, the dialogue and action was amusing but informative, but most importantly it was poignant and extremely helpful in understanding daily life in Iran pre, and post 1979 revolution. I think that the reading that most clearly stuck out in my mind was the Sciolino reading about life behind closed doors in Iran. At one point, Marji was even doing aerobics like in the opening lines of the article.
I think that one of the most interesting looks into Iranian life was the reason why people stay in the midst of such misery. Marji’s father asks why they should leave so that he can be a taxi driver? I feel as though usually the viewpoint is that somewhere else would be better, and to give liberty from the regime a shot. However, people stay in conflicted areas because they have no choice, or know that the reality of the alternative is not much better. The question of identity and pride also ten come into play as Marji had to lie about her own nationality to fit in. For such a prideful family, it would be difficult to swallow that pill and separate from Iranian identity somewhere else. Although Marji ultimately did that, I interpret the lack of action while back in France at the end to be that her time there was not as significant and she had to incorporate her identity into her life through her grandmother. Leaving home is not an easy choice, and the juxtaposition of Marji who leaves twice and her family that remains is insightful into the pros and cons of each.
The use of animation in this film makes the story and experience come through for several reasons. It allows the tone of the film to be more obvious and dramatized, and it takes away any bias we may have against an actor that could negatively impact our understanding.
The perspective that Persepolis provides is refreshing as it allows for the consideration of Iranian issues through the eyes of a child rather than a political analyst or politician (as is usually the case). Through a combination of narrative and character involvement it explored a period of time that spanned Iran’s transition from the Qajar dynasty to Reza Khan’s ousting and contemporary Islamic rule of the current regime. The reach of the film and effective examination of each of these periods, provides context for Marjane’s experiences and development and draws attention to relevant issues pertaining to her identity as an Iranian. Her dismay at being estranged from her homeland, yet eventual desire to distance herself from it by claiming to be French speaks to the difficulty of contending with her past.
I was struck by the effectiveness of the film in portraying the extent to which governmental interference in daily life takes its toll. The turmoil of previous years almost seems preferable to the constant surveillance that she is now forced to endure and culminates in her return to Europe. Her inability to effectively integrate herself into European society and subsequent depression reflects the despair and hopelessness of being unable to find happiness in one’s homeland as well as abroad. The characterization of the pawns of the regime in the form of young, indoctrinated, and apparently underpaid gunmen also has a certain pathos about it, as Iran’s slide towards a militaristic and restricted society is embodied not in proud soldiers but rather brainwashed adolescents.
The success of Persepoli rests in its unique narrative angle in demonstrating a very difficult period of the Iranian history – the style of animation and the perspective of a little Iranian girl. The animation itself is simplified yet vivid, enjoyable for both children and adults yet obviously for very different reasons. The clear-cut black and white graphics, although seemingly obscuring the scenes of blood and violence, in fact intensifies the impression of regime suppression and everyday insecurity. The perception of a young child, who constantly asks questions, resembles that of an uninformed audience of this movie; without knowing too much about the Iranian history, the viewers learn from the film’s dialogues between the girl and other adults, many of which are extremely clever and punctilious. The story of the child also parallels the story of the country – her inner struggle between various ideologies, her conception of “us” versus “them” and her effort to trace back to her root – these are exactly what Iran as a country has been experiencing.
Another success of this movie is that it does not advocate a specific bias towards a political ideology, and it depicts a period of history in a rather objective manner. This is especially true when the girl was still young and when her opinion was swinging between various occurrences in her life; even in her adulthood, she would dream about a conversation with both Karl Marx and God, which I find very interesting. Perhaps what matters the most, and this is true for most of the Middle Easterners, is the country’s stability and prosperity. Regardless of political ideologies, people want peace, honesty, unification with their family, and a sense of “true to yourself.”
I thoroughly enjoyed watching Persepolis. I think choosing to use animation instead of real people somehow amplified the feelings and general sentiments that were expressed/experienced by people. It was somewhat like taking an innocent art form and infusing a vast amount of emotions and political tension into it. There was so much that struck a chord with me. I think constant juxtaposition of opposing feelings/events was a major theme of the movie. It also showed that you couldn’t make a generalization of what life was like during this period. The first example being that of Marjane as a child loving Bruce Lee and wanting to be the next prophet, towing the Government line in public and being free and not wearing a hijab at home , the liberties they allow themselves in their private lives such as alcohol and co-ed parties vs. the police state regime outside that they encountered whenever they stepped outside of the door.
Imagery wise, I could not help think of when they pulled down the huge statue in Syria when they pulled down what I think was the Shah’s statue in the movie. And so many images echoed stills of some of the things that are happening in the Middle East… Civil conflicts, the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Suppression of Vice… It without a doubt taught me about a lot about Iran on a small personal level . We tend to look at the macro events and forget that despite these oppressive and hard times, life does go on. Societies form vibrant underground lives even when harsh events occur.
This movie was a great addition to the readings we had. If I had only done the readings, I would have come away thinking that life after the 1979 revolution had, if not improved, at least not deteriorated considerably. The war period was undoubtedly miserable, but the according to the reading things seemed to improve after about 1992. The movie did not paint this picture. I came away from the movie with a much better understanding of the repression in modern day Iran.
One major revelation was that Iran has “moral police.” I experienced something similar to that in Saudi Arabia but didn’t know that they existed in Iran as well. As tough as they are in Saudi, I imagine they are even more burdensome for an Iranian population with a long history of intellectual thought as opposed to tribalism in Saudi.
Last, I thought it was great decision to animate this movie rather than use real actors. It allowed me to look beyond just the plot line and focus on the meaning of the movie. The personal narrative was extremely rich and I think the subtleties would have gotten lost if real actors were used.
While we have spent significant time learning about the political and historical shifts within the Middle East, watching a personal and intimate experience of the same occurrences elicits a very different response. Marjane’s family is obviously one of the relatively upper class, secular intelligentsias (her grandfather was a “Qajar Prince”). As a highly political group, their family is not only subjected to the terrors of war, including the horrific bombing of Tehran, but is also intimately affected by the strict cracking down of each party in power against political dissidents. Throughout this movie, I was struck by the similarities to Scioliano’s chapter about the stark differences between private and public life. Although the movie may illustrate the increasing control and demands (especially on women) of the public life (through dress, decorum, or even makeup), private life, and the yearning for freedom continues. Even when faced with the threat of public officials, both Marjane’s family, and later Marjane herself continue to indulge in prohibited activities, whether through co-ed partying or the consumption of alcohol. Yet the threat of discovery is always present. This desire for freedom is key, illustrated by Scioliano as well as Persepolis. How do you remain true to yourself and your beliefs when faced with danger or persecution? Even leaving the country cannot solve all problems, as we see when Marjane confesses to feeling a constant outsider, both within and outside of her country. Her parents, although unhappy with the situation, also feel that they do not have the ability to leave, no matter how hard their lives become. What would be waiting them on the other side? As obviously educated people within Iran, her father muses as to their fate outside of it—“you a maid and myself a taxi driver?” Whether within or outside of the country, “freedom always has a price.”
I actually found the graphic novel Persepolis in my little brother’s elementary school while home this summer. I hadn’t heard of either the novel or the film but was fascinated to find a book about the Iranian revolution in our small library and even more interested to find such an emotionally charged and violent story in an elementary school. Putting the school’s pedagogical decisions aside, I think telling such a powerful story through cartoon amplifies the significance of the story. I remember while reading Maus in a class on the Holocaust we discussed the appropriateness of depicting such horrible events through a medium traditionally reserved to humor or make-believe. My conclusion after reading Maus is that sometimes trying to portray these events through realistic images is less appropriate than a cartoon because it is impossible to capture their profundity and in an attempt, we might just trivialize the experience. A cartoon, however, doesn’t pretend to imitate reality and thereby can take certain liberties actors and actresses can’t. In Persepolis the emotions of a young girl growing up in such a tumultuous time were so aptly portrayed through surreal images that make us question, “How could this even be?” “How are these things permitted to happen?”
My perception of Iran was certainly challenged by this film. The entire underground economy, social structure and family life that I’ve heard and read about in passing was so vividly depicted. Of course people still need to have fun and flirt and date and drink and sometimes cry to their grandmothers or swear a little; it’s just something I forget about when reading history.
Contradictions are so poignant in this film as well. Wanting to be Bruce Lee and the next prophet; wearing hijab on the street and dancing in a club; weddings and assassinations; heavy metal music and being silent in the classroom; men wearing western clothing and women fully covered. Each of these highlights the dual life many Iranians were living as well as nuances the story that so many of us learn in history classes.
The most striking thing to me about the movie Persepolis was the depictions of everyday life at different stages in one’s existence. At the beginning of the movie, Marjane’s innocent childhood was portrayed through her feelings about the shah and the war. At first, she was spewing the party line and saying that the shah was great. In the next scene, she was marching around her house chanting “Down with the shah. Down with the shah.” This innocence and naïveté of a young, impressionable child were perfectly demonstrated in these contrasting scenes. The next scene that demonstrated the way in which war and atrocity infiltrate everyday life could be seen in the way in which the parents openly talked about the tragedies and crimes of war in front of their children. Torture and murder were dinner conversation, and Marjane and her friends took it to heart, setting out to tear their friend’s eyes out with nails. The final telling moment was the party scene, when her friend jumps to his death. At this point in the movie, living in the repressive regime has just become status quo. People have found their own ways to get around some of the restrictions so that they can still have a certain amount of civil liberties. But they are well versed in how to make something look “normal” (in the eyes of the regime) and they know how to do what they must in order to not get arrested. I think that people in repressive regimes always reach this point, but, as we saw in with the revolutions of the Arab Spring, there is always a tipping point. It is impossible to predict what that moment will be, but I think history has proven that there will always be one.