Review of Persepolis (2007) by Alessandra M — 12 Mar 2013

This is a very smart, well told tale of a young girl's youth in Teheran and Vienna, and whose life has been blighted by the backdrop of war, conflict and increased Islamification. Undoubtedly this is a story that needs to be told, and co-director Marjane Satrapi first told it in her graphic novels - so as such this feels a little selective, perhaps missing the greater depths the novels could achieve. This is not to dismiss the film - it is a fine piece of work - but it always feels like there is more that could be said.

There are two versions available, the French language original, and a dubbed version. The dub version - with guest voice artists Sean Penn and Iggy Pop and Gena Rowlands - is very well done, though I'd recommend sticking with the French original.