Film explores Iranian girl's identity

Adapted from the graphic novels of the same name, Academy Award nominated “Persepolis” chronicles the true story of its director, Marjane Satrapi, as she comes of age during and after Iran’s Islamic Revolution.

The French animation opens with the main character, also named Marjane Satrapi (voiced by Chiara Mastroianni) at a Paris train station and flashes back to 1978 Iran.

There the narrative strikes a balance between the story of the individual Iranian girl and its universal elements, particularly family, heritage and the clash between Eastern and Western cultures.

Articles of Western culture abound in the Satrapi household. From their political beliefs to the movies they enjoy, their lifestyle is an affront to the new, oppressive regime.

In Iran, Marjane is more than a rebel — she’s an outcast. The filmmakers make that point clear both in her charming and funny attempts to buy Iron Maiden tapes in the black market and through various shots of Marjane floating through a black void.

As Marjane grows older and political tensions escalate, she is forced to leave her family behind while she attends school abroad. Yet the prejudice and lack of understanding she encounters at her school in Vienna ironically brings back many of the same problems she had in Iran.

At the heart of the story is Marjane’s evolution and struggle to honor her heritage while finding her own place in the world. Like her, the film has an identity all its own.

Wholly different from the Pixar and Pixar-inspired animated films of the past decade, “Persepolis” returns to traditional two-dimensional animation with a fresh and original perspective. Characters appear in solid black and white, while everything else is presented in visually compelling shades of grey, reflecting the complexity of the narrative.

Sassy and soulful, “Persepolis” is a personal and universal story that brings humanity to a country and a conflict most Westerners find difficult to comprehend.