Atomizedlife’s Weblog

I discovered yet another cute, boutique cinema hall in Bangkok – the House on RCA avenue off Petchaburi road. I saw Persepolis, incredibly hilarious 2D animation film about life, persecution and follies from the eyes of an Iranian girl. The crowd was a mash up of farangs and some Thais and I was partly worried our friends from the Iran Cultural Center would walk and shut the movie down (this film was banned by Iran). Nothing like this hapenned. The humour is splittingly funny until you remind yourself that perhaps it is a tad provocative. One is shown an Iran where the mullahs govern how women should look and behave and how men should be and basically define every aspect of lives and yet through all this, Marjane, the young protagonist forges a life of rebellion and provocation that is not always private (and gets her into trouble!). She flip flops across Europe, gets laid, drugged, becomes homeless and finally down with Bronchitis in Vienna, decided the so-called freedom is no guarantee for a good life. Teheran with all its repressive tactics is still home and this is where she is happy. Just when the viewer is led into this belief and settles in to watch her unfold and adapt and conform, one is jolted again by her first real Iranian relationship and discovers the marital life even in more-bound Teheran is just as bad as anywhere in the world  (funny scenes of hubby watching violent shit on TV, glued to the Sofa and remote). She finally divorces him on the sage advice of her granny (another wonderful character in this film, by the way, a schmaltzy, cool babette who smokes cigars) that the first marriage is a practice for the second and then flies off to Paris…which is where she now lives….and which is where she crafted this autobiographical comic strip. More power to Marjane Satrapy!! I did , once again from my new found stable, Asian, mature lens, found this movie to be too provocative and raising more questions while quelling others. All about Iran was shown as = Bad and was Paris good, then? Young Marjane is addicted to heavy metal and rocks on Iron Maiden (this is an amazing scene where she buys bootleg CD in Teheran and headbangs her way to momentary bedroom joy!) but does this mean she is any more rebellious and leftist and freedom-loving that had she embraced Farsi music?! etc etc. One never gets too many answers in this movie and I guess that is not the point. This movie tells a story and tells it beautifully and in the end, one can’t help but feeling affection for young Marjane.