Persepolis is based off of the 2003 graphic novel (or series of graphic novels) released under the same name, written by the film's director, Marjane Satrapi. Both entities are memoirs of the authors time in revolutionary Iran and the culture differences between there and western Europe. The book is one of my favorites, so I went to this film with very high hopes.
The film succeeds in many things. It is visually one of the most impressive films I have ever seen. It is almost entirely in black and white, sometimes only black, and very...arty. It is amazing to look at, almost more amazing than watching the film. It feels very much like the graphic novel in that sense, but uses the film medium wonderfully, expanding on the already distinctive style.
The Soundtrack is amazing. 'nuff said.
And the individual scenes are amazing. The dialog is normally well done, the Voice acting is above average, and the scenes are very good at depicting the life in iran before and after the revolution.
The film had One problem.
the plot didn't amount to squat.
The memoir spanned many years and many different journeys, and being based in real life, it lacks a real plot arc. There is no conclusion, rising or falling action for the overall stories. There are 3 acts to it (pre revolution, Europe, Post revolution), and each part has there own arc, but overall...It doesn't amount to a whole lot, other than showing you what life is like for a non religious Iranian in both Iran and Europe.
this was what the author set out to do, but it is not optimal in the movie setting, and makes the film feel incomplete in some way
Overall, however, this film was really good, and definitely a recommendation to anyone liking political films or cartoons.
4/5
No comments:
Post a Comment