Review of Persepolis (2007) by N. Ryan E — 28 Jul 2009

An absolutely gripping film, if in no other way than visually. The animation pulls from incredibly different sources, looking at times like Tintin, South Park, and Frank Miller graphic novels all mixed into one. Direction is somewhere between Rosselini and Tim Burton. And yet, it looks completely different than any of the above.

The story is charming, simple but complex, heavy but with funny moments (some darker than others). The politics seem reasonable, I'm no expert but the movie focuses more on the people in Iran than the ideology behind the country's history, and bias or no it's a good little story. Good enough that Persepolis will likely become a standby in introductory post-colonial film (and literature) courses - and they could do worse. One of the best of 2007, no question.