MUBI

Le film se divise en trois grandes parties: Marjane en Iran pendant son enfance, Marjane envoyée en Autriche à l’adolescence et enfin le retour au pays où elle ira à l’université. La première partie évoque le régime du Shah et celui qui lui a succédé. Malheureusement, elle arrive avec ces idées bien à elle, nous soumettant quelque chose et se rapprochant très fort d’une propagande à la sauce d’un documentaire trop partial. Cela dure dix ou quinze grosses minutes et ça finit heureusement par s’équilibrer. Toutefois, la suite n’est pas forcément d’une niveau extraordinaire. La partie sur son adolescence m’a pas mal ennuyé. Et enfin, la troisième (tout comme la deuxième) parle de la liberté de la femme. Si cela possède quelques qualités (notamment à travers le personnage de la grand-mère, sans aucun doute le plus intéressant du film avec le père et l’oncle), ça manque à mon goût de finesse que pour le hisser au rang de quelque chose de bon. Il reste malgré tout l’incroyable travail sur l’animation et la beauté (le terme est faible) des dessins. Un film trop lourd dans le propos que pour en être totalement convaincant.

L’iran vu d’ici – 26/01/2009

En regardant l’histoire sous un angle personnel, Persepolis conserve son âme, touchante et attendrissante. L’équilibre entre le rire et les larmes entre la dénonciation de la dictature islamiste et la fatuité de trouver un sens à son existence est tout entier. Le film parvient néanmoins à renouveler la BD en s’en détachant souvent et recentrant un peu son propos. Mais en voulant le résumer, on a plus l’impression ici d’une succession de scénettes. On retient plus l’émotion familiale que la dénonciation politique, qui était plus forte dans la BD. Si vous ne connaissez pas la BD, vous serez ravi. Sinon, gardez le bon souvenir de la BD.

Satu film yang banyak diagungkan para kritik, atas nama kebebasan menyuarakan pendapat dan berkreasi, adalah film animasi karya sutradara asal Iran, Marjane Satrapi, yang berjudul Persepolis. Cerita film ini sendiri diadaptasi dari grafik novel karya Satrapi yang mengisahkan tentang masa pertumbuhannya dari kecil di negara Iran, ketika sedang menghadapi revolusi Iran, yang semula diduga banyak penduduknya akan membawa kebebasan, namun malah jatuh ke arah tirani yang lebih parah dari kekuasaan sebelumnya (sounds familiar, don’t ya think?).

Well… honestly, film ini (sama sekali) tidak akan menghibur bagi Anda yang mencari hiburan dalam dunia animasi. Isi film yang kompleks, sedikit provokatif mengenai “kebencian” tokoh Marjane mengenai aturan-aturan ketat a la Islam di negaranya, hingga petualangannya dalam melarikan diri dari cengkraman perang yang berlarut-larut di negara asalnya, akan membuat para penontonnya banyak berpikir selama film ini berputar.Persepolis sama sekali tidak dianjurkan bagi Anda yang merasa beraliran fundamentalis atau sedikit sulit dalam menerima kritikan dari sisi agama, hal yang membuat pemerintah Iran melarang peredaran film ini disana.

Overall, Persepolis dapat berlaku dengan baik sebagai sebuah film politis yang sarat akan pesan sosial. Namun jika yang Anda cari adalah sisi hiburan, film bernuansa hitam-putih ini malah mempunyai kecenderungan untuk menimbulkan depresi bagi para penontonnya.

Rate: 3.5 / 5

Persepólis chegou a Portugal com uma nomeação para o Oscar de melhor filme de animação e o grande prémio do júri, em Cannes. Estas premiações fazem todo o sentido depois de se ver este louvado e excelente filme de animação. Grande parte da qualidade desta obra advém do talento de Marjane Satrapi, a autora dos 4 volumes da banda desenhada Persepólis, e co-realizadora (com Vincent Paronnaud) do filme. Esta é uma obra autobiográfica ou, como a sua criadora gosta de designar, uma autoficção, pois não é absolutamente fiel à realidade.

Marjane é iraniana, nascida em 1969, em Teerão. É importante mencionar este facto, pois além do filme ser uma “pintura” da vida de Satrapi, também é uma amostra de uma parte da história do Irão. A crónica de vida da autora começa em 1978, quando Satrapi tinha apenas 9 anos e o Irão ainda era uma monarquia ditatorial, e acaba em 1994. Filha de pais ricos, a pequena Satrapi vivia feliz com a sua família, até que rebenta a revolução islâmica, que a inicio parecia trazer melhorias no país, mas acabou por demonstrar-se bastante nefasta. Regido por extremistas islâmicos, o Irão começou a aplicar regras rigorosas, assentes na religião, que levaram à opressão do povo e principalmente das mulheres. Extrovertida, expansiva e pouco submissa, Satrapi teve muitas dificuldades em adaptar-se a esta nova situação, arranjando regularmente problemas com as autoridades. O que levou os seus pais a obrigarem-na a viajar para o estrangeiro, onde cresceu e arranjou a sua dose de situações peculiares.

Apesar do forte contexto político, este é um filme bastante centrado nas suas personagens. Mais que demonstrar a conjuntura politica vivida pelo país, “Persepólis” mostra a forma como as pessoas viveram esses acontecimentos críticos, expondo diversas situações do seu quotidiano. As personagens são reais, são pessoas com quem nos podemos identificar, e põem-nos a pensar o que faríamos se tivéssemos no seu lugar. É bom vermos Marjane a crescer e a aprender a lidar com o que se vai passando na sua vida. O sentido de humor negro e o estilo irónico com que aborda as coisas foi talvez o que a fez ultrapassar cada dificuldade e seguir em frente, e é, definitivamente, o que torna este filme uma comédia, apesar dos contornos dramáticas que o definem. A cena onde ela, depois de passar algum tempo deprimida por um amor falhado, canta a música Eye of The Tiger” voltando a ficar moralizada para seguir em frente, é hilariante. Somos regularmente brindados com pequenas cenas deste tipo, que servem eficazmente para aliviar a parte mais negra e trágica do filme.

Inicialmente, este não era para ser um filme de animação, o que teria sido uma péssima escolha, visto que a animação consegue captar completamente o espírito da banda desenhada. Caso não o fosse, nunca conseguiria recriar certas situações de forma brilhante como o fez. Sem ser demasiado complexa, a animação está bastante bem conseguida, com um design espectacular. Este filme é assim, juntamente com Sin City, 300 e Renaissance, uma das mais fies adaptações ao cinema, no que toca a bandas desenhadas.

Com actrizes bastante experientes como Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve e Danielle Darrieux (as vozes de Marjane, a sua mãe, e a sua avó, respectivamente) o filme conta com excelentes interpretações, que dão vida aos variados sentimentos e estados de espírito das personagens. Mastroianni tem a delicada e, ao mesmo tempo, humorística tarefa de cantar a música dos Surviver, Eye of the Tiger. A banda sonora do filme é irrepreensível, sendo constituída por estilos musicais diferentes, que vão deste a música atrás mencionada, a Iron Maiden (muito apreciados por Marjane na sua adolescência), passando por um som “disco” de origem iraniana.

Este é um filme que prova claramente que a animação é um género que não tem apenas como público-alvo as crianças. O conteúdo forte e dramático é prova disso mesmo. Um filme que merece ser visto com atenção, sendo uma lufada de ar fresco no género.

Squeezing four books into one 95 minute film makes for a tight narrative that really never lets up; each scene almost feels like a small milestone for the growing girl. With much of it being set against the political and social turmoil of Iran from ‘78 onward, it is definitely ambitious in scope. Yet, like a film by David Lean, there’s a keen focus on how Marjane develops into a woman based on these factors as well as personal ones. This makes for a film rich in characterization which generally makes for an interesting story.

There have been a lot of movies made about life in totalitarian governments and/or the immigrant experience, but this animated film is by far one of the best. Instead of going for any kind of realism, it embraces its medium for a dream-like, wholly original representation of true events. The first half is much stronger than the second – it looses focus towards the end – but this is still one of the most innovative and important animated films I’ve seen.

A young girl comes of age in the time of the Iranian revolution in this heartwarming animated gem from France, based on a series of acclaimed graphic novels by Marjane Satrapi, the film’s protagonist. Young Marji believes that with the downfall of the Shah Iran will become a westernized democracy, but Khomeini’s regime is even more repressive, especially towards women, and the rebellious girl is forced to move to Vienna, where she learns of love, heartbreak, and counterculture, before returning to her homeland a bitter and depressed young woman. The film, filled with striking black and white animation, based on the coloring and figures of the novels, tells this altogether harrowing story of the hardships following the revolution with depth, perception, warmth, humor, and a marked sense of loss and pathos, suggesting that the preciousness of childhood, and the comfort of family, are never quite the same when war, hatred, and paranoia rear their ugly heads.

Here we have France’s official entry for foreign film at the Oscars, the animated film Persepolis. This intrigues me for many reasons. One, it is a cartoon and almost destined for the nod in that category; two, it is about Iran, by an Iranian who took France as an adopted home in her 20’s, and third, the wonderful film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly had a real shot at winning the award, let alone getting a nomination (but then it was directed by an American, so who knows?). By no means is the film unworthy of the praise or accolades; it is in actuality very well done. Maybe not quite as good as I have heard, but than this is not the type of film I normally put my sights on being almost documentary-like in its biographical and historical nature. As a visual piece, one can’t complain though, and as a piece of history, telling of the pain and horrors that went on in the Middle Eastern country, it is quite shocking and informative (albeit from a viewpoint that was very anti-war/regime, not that her family should have been for the genocide, but it is a biased view nonetheless). With multiple sequences that are as powerful as any scenes all year, there are just too many moments showing the naïve immaturity of our heroine as she deals with relationships and depression. The weight of what is happening on a global level is so strong as a story thread that the “little” things took me away from the movie and caused me to become a tad restless waiting for the intriguing moments to come back.

Marjane Satrapi lived a very interesting life. Her family contained many important members in Iran, from a Prince, numerous revolutionaries, imprisoned and killed Communists, and a couple of strong-willed parents, fighting the good fight, yet still maintaining a balance to keep themselves alive. The film is a very personal piece of work, telling about her life from childhood to mid-20’s—from precocious youngster wishing to be the last prophet of the world to a cynical, jaded woman who had survived hard times both physically and emotionally. Her outspoken demeanor leads to some tense moments that almost seem to be diffused a little too easily. In a country that is so repressive and so against women, how can all these men allow her to say what she does and just cower in embarrassment? I am surprised she survived to turn 20 in the first place with the way the film portrays Iran.

This is of course a fictional remembrance, and I’m sure there were some liberties taken. Much like American Splendor from a few years back, Persepolis is based off a series of autobiographical graphic novels created by Satrapi. In that regard, the tale is infused with comedy and fantasy throughout, helping to keep interest and counter the heavy subject matter at the crux of it all. So much of this humor works perfectly—the figure study model cloaked, the “Punk is Ded” jacket, and early Bruce Lee moves, kicking another youngster in the head at a party—but a few times it can be somewhat cringe-inducing—the “Eye of the Tiger” montage came off hokey to me. Her vocal outbursts and putting lesser people (although in positions of power) in their place help shape her character and show how one can fight back against a country that gave up on its people without using physical violence herself.

The animation at times is absolutely breathtaking. Using color to delineate between the present storytelling Marjane with her story’s lead in black and white is well utilized, if a bit unnecessary considering her being in color has no bearing except for showing an older age. Where the movie truly succeeds, however, is in the heavy/dark moments. The stark contrast of the colorless majority really brings some weight to the proceedings. With somber music overlaying those sequences of battle and oppression, we are treated to some events that stay with you way after the film has finished. The initial siege after the fall of the Shah is fantastic with its black, silhouetted soldiers combining into a massive blob advancing on the innocent civilians. Even atmosphere is added with smoke and fog, a very nice trick for a field of depth that is completely two-dimensional using only overlapping layers to show space. My favorite piece, though, is a chase on the rooftops after an illegal party is broken up by the Guardians. In almost complete silence we see the pursuit right until its inevitable conclusion—heartbreaking.

Full credit goes to Satrapi for having the fortitude to not only survive the life she lived at such a young age, but also the ability to tell the world about it. I’m sure her stories have served as somewhat of a catharsis for herself, especially after seeing her Uncle Anoush tell his tales of exile and persecution so that the family’s story is known forever. She seems to have taken everything very seriously and put it upon herself to not let all those in her life to have died and suffered in vain. Always strong-willed and unafraid to speak her mind, she was the true revolutionary. Learning from experience and many mistakes of her own, Marjane grew up very fast and never forgot her heritage or her home. Even years later from the last time she stepped foot on Middle Eastern soil, she still answers a cabbie’s question of where she’s coming from, without pause, as Iran.