Persepolis (2007)

dir. Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud
writ. Marjane Satrapi (comic), Vincent Paronnaud (scenario)
feat. Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Danielle Darrieux, Simon Abkarian

It's unfortunate that we've come to a time when even unusual films that might tread the margins of cinema, perhaps foreign animated features that explore life in a war torn country, follow a tiresome formula. Persepolis starts well, with a spirited child showing precocious rebellious spunk under the tutelage of wise elders as revolution brews in Iran. Sadly, it's all downhill from there, the lead losing all signs of a personality as the broad strokes of war and virtual exile take over.

If the story felt like the tragic tale of losing one's home land, or that of one enduring great difficulty and becoming a stronger, better person in the process, I might succumb to the formula. But this isn't either, our character showing very little love for home or life (though plenty of tragedy and horror in the mix).

And don't turn to the animation for relief either. Aside from a handful of inspired and beautifully rendered sequences, the production team leans on a majority of simple, inelegant standard frames like a lazy documentary approach of talking heads with halos of light and slashes of black in the background. However, those few sequences are stunning and worth noting, though they leave one yearning for such ambition throughout the picture.