22/05/2007

Official competition this afternoon at the Cannes Film Festival had a touch of the unusual, with the press screening of animated film Persepolis [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marc-Antoine Robert
interview: Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Pa…
film profile], a debut feature made almost entirely in 2D and black-and-white, by Iranian-born comic strip artist Marjane Satrapi and French director Vincent Paronnaud. Just like the young, Paris-based director’s best-selling comic strip, the big screen adaptation exhibits an energy sometimes found lacking in traditional features.

In dealing with a chapter in Iranian history – from the downfall of the Shah’s regime in 1978 to the reign of the mullahs in the mid-1990s (and Satrapi’s own detour in Vienna) – Persepolis tackles a range of serious subjects without, however, becoming heavy-handed: the persecution of intellectuals, the Iran-Iraq war, propaganda, indoctrination, censorship, torture, military-police dictatorship, the oppression of women (the wearing of the veil), exile and the issues of identity and integration.

Poetic, moving and sensitive, the film achieves what it set out to do through a pedagogical approach (making the film accessible to young audiences) detailing human and democratic values – including the tragicomic misadventures of Satrapi herself, as a child, then a teenager and a young woman struggling with "existential" problems in an era of historical turmoil.

The film’s humoristic, inventive dialogue (which does not shy away from using jokes) and sober and elegant images, charmed the international press despite the difficulty in classifying the individualistic film in the competition section.

"Never forget who you are and where you come from". A young girl from Tehran, a fan of Bruce Lee, who dreams of reaching the age when she can shave her legs and become a “prophet”, Marjane lives through the Islamic revolution with her progressive parents, her Communist uncle just out of prison and her ferociously independent grandmother (from whom she learns the art of swearing).

When the mullah regime comes to power, the teenager (now veiled) buys Iron Maiden records in secret while the family attempts to lead a parallel life (secret parties with alcohol, contacts with those who forge documents).

However, the Iran-Iraq war intensifies religious control over civilian life and death becomes a genuine threat with bombings. The blunt and dangerous outspokenness of the 13 year-old rebel makes her parents send her to Austria out of fear.

In Vienna, the teenager is confronted with the loneliness of being an immigrant, living in a consumerist society and coping with romantic adventure and disappointment – all treated with humour.

On her return to Iran, the young woman first goes through a period of depression before embarking on a frenetic search for happiness to "forget that we weren’t free". She then gets married before taking off yet again on a search for integrity.

Produced by French outfit 247 Films, the €6m Persepolis received co-production and pre-sales funding from France 3 Cinéma, funding through advances on receipts and a new technology support scheme for production from the CNC, and support from the Ile-de-France region. Kathleen Kennedy associate produced.

Sold internationally by Dreamachine, Persepolis will be released in France through Diaphana on June 27.

(Translated from French)