PERSEPOLIS The great city of Persian civilisation Autobiographical Graphic Novel: Author: (Iranian) Marjane Satrapi Written in French Animated film: 2007 Produced/directed : Marjane Satrapi/Vincent Parronaud

ADVANTAGES OF ADOPTING THIS TEXT Could be studied as either film or literature. Both available: film from JB HIFI: $7 Book: Abbeys et al. $19.95 Buy as a consortium. French is very clear on film: Voices of Catherine Deneuve, Chiara Mastroianni, Danielle Darrieux, Simon Abkarian. Controversial themes: Illegal, Immoral, fattening!

PLOT SUMMARY Story takes place between Essential story is one of self discovery/journey in search of self and relationship with self and society. Marji initially a child experiencing Iran war, revolution (personal and political) pervades whole story; enmeshing of the two prevails throughout. A strength. Islamic revolution = fundamentalism brings no hoped for freedom. Marji constantly provokes parents, teachers, friends by asking controversial questions, reads voraciously, engages in conflict everywhere simply by asking questions. Marji’s parents exhort her to leave ; goes to Vienna for 3 years to complete her education. Various personal issues of love, freedom, acceptance against the background of a more tolerant Western society do not give her the love and humanity she desperately seeks.

AWARDS Co winner of Jury prize Cannes film festival 2007 Best first film : Cesar Award Best first film and writing adaptation award at London, Vancouver,, Manila and Sao Paulo film festivals Nominated for music award Lost best animated film award to Ratatouille

THEMES Relationships: Marji’s relationships to: Family: parents, (loving acceptance; explanations) grandmother (fount of wisdom and acceptance) uncle, (dead) grandfather. Heroes. Friends: As a child: a leader; encourages others to ask questions, challenge authority, informs herself and others. Wants to be a prophet! As a teenager: challenging others continues in Europe; notion of alienation/ non acceptance paramount. Lack of friends, boyfriends and betrayal. She cannot say who she is and be proud. Challenging of authority continues: difficult relationships with nuns in boarding school, philosophy professor with whom she boards: continual exposure of their hypocrisy. Evolving relationship with herself: anger, questioning, challenging, violence, foray into drugs, sexual relationships, depression and drugs, acceptance of self and purpose in education. Marji is forced to leave Iran at her parents behest, as they fear for her safety. She returns 3 years later, finishes tertiary education, marries, divorces and returns to France where she now lives. Use of humour to illustrate theme: let’s play Marxist Dialectic games; Torturers games All personal relationships underpinned by relationship to society; Iranian /European

CONTROVERSIAL THEMES Many! However careful selection of scenes would be possible. Universality of themes, its wisdom, wit, humour; appeal to Australian youth. Graphic novel genre; B/W line drawings change emotional connection; impact of depression, torture is different. The medium is the message!

THEMES SOCIAL CLASS Significant addressing of this issue: Heroine’s family is intellectual; Marji informs herself; cf majority of people are illiterate. Accept, reiterate propaganda: teachers, guardians in Iranian society The family’s maid, Mehra cannot educate her children; Marji, as a child, doesn’t recognise there is a difference in social class between her family and maid. Mehra’s son has to be a soldier, (gold plastic key to heaven: abundance, women) cannot marry whom he loves as she is not from same social class. Friends (in Iran/Europe) are from same social class but do not question the status quo. Interesting: when does the intellect, fostered by education = social class; how/when does it make a difference? Marji and her family protest constantly. European friends seem superficial despite their privileges of social class and education.

TOLERANCE A hard won commodity in life at this time in both Iran and Europe Political intolerance: A previously moderate society under the Shah is revolutionised into a fundamentalist Islamic society after dismissal of the Shah; no acceptance of any other way of living except Islamic fundamantalism Personal intolerance in Marji’s family: uncle Anoosh is ostracised by his family for his political beliefs; spends 9 years in prison Story consists of many episodes of lack of tolerance of differences and otherness: political/personal Examples: Marji and her mother accosted on the street by guardians of both sexes who show no respect as mother is showing her hair; frequently accosted as Marji wears sneakers, a symbol of western decadence. Nuns do not accept Marji either; she is too outspoken Friends are not accepting of her nationality and it takes her many years to come to self acceptance and pride in her heritage. At time she disowns it.