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IMDbPro

Persepolis

  • 20072007
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 36m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
94K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
9,133
115
Persepolis (2007)
This is the U.S. trailer for Persepolis, directed by Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi.
Play trailer2:14
1 Video
38 Photos
AnimationBiographyDrama
A precocious and outspoken Iranian girl grows up during the Islamic Revolution.A precocious and outspoken Iranian girl grows up during the Islamic Revolution.A precocious and outspoken Iranian girl grows up during the Islamic Revolution.
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
94K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
9,133
115
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Directors
      • Vincent Paronnaud
      • Marjane Satrapi
    • Writers
      • Marjane Satrapi(comic)
      • Vincent Paronnaud(scenario)
    • Stars
      • Chiara Mastroianni(French, English version)
      • Catherine Deneuve(French, English version)
      • Gena Rowlands(English version)
    Top credits
    • Directors
      • Vincent Paronnaud
      • Marjane Satrapi
    • Writers
      • Marjane Satrapi(comic)
      • Vincent Paronnaud(scenario)
    • Stars
      • Chiara Mastroianni(French, English version)
      • Catherine Deneuve(French, English version)
      • Gena Rowlands(English version)
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 196User reviews
    • 242Critic reviews
    • 90Metascore
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 30 wins & 59 nominations total

    Videos1

    U.S. trailer: Persepolis
    Trailer 2:14
    U.S. trailer: Persepolis

    Photos38

    Persepolis (2007)
    Persepolis (2007)
    Persepolis (2007)
    Best Animated Feature
    Persepolis (2007)
    Persepolis (2007)
    Persepolis (2007)
    Persepolis (2007)
    Persepolis (2007)
    Persepolis (2007)
    Persepolis (2007)
    Persepolis (2007)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Chiara Mastroianni
    Chiara Mastroianni
    • Marjane
    • (French, English version)
    • (voice)
    Catherine Deneuve
    Catherine Deneuve
    • Mom
    • (French, English version)
    • (voice)
    Gena Rowlands
    Gena Rowlands
    • Marjane's grandmother
    • (English version)
    • (voice)
    Danielle Darrieux
    Danielle Darrieux
    • Grandma
    • (voice)
    Simon Abkarian
    Simon Abkarian
    • Dad
    • (voice)
    Gabrielle Lopes Benites
    • Marji
    • (voice)
    François Jerosme
    • Anoush
    • (voice)
    Tilly Mandelbrot
    • Lali
    • (voice)
    Sophie Arthuys
    • Walla
    • (voice)
    Arié Elmaleh
    Arié Elmaleh
    • Walla
    • (voice)
    Mathias Mlekuz
    • Walla
    • (voice)
    Lexie Kendrick
    • Friend
    • (English version)
    • (voice)
    • …
    Sean Penn
    Sean Penn
    • Mr. Satrapi - Marjane's Father
    • (English version)
    • (voice)
    Adriana Anderson
    • Enforcer
    • (English version)
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    Paul Bandey
    Paul Bandey
    • Brit
    • (English version)
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    Robert Barr
    • Anchor
    • (English version)
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    Robert William Bradford
    • Guardian
    • (English version)
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    Stephen Croce
    Stephen Croce
    • Cabbie
    • (English version)
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    • Directors
      • Vincent Paronnaud
      • Marjane Satrapi
    • Writers
      • Marjane Satrapi(comic)
      • Vincent Paronnaud(scenario)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Iran's government sent a letter to the French embassy in Tehran to protest against the movie and pressured the organizers of the 2007 Bangkok Film Festival to drop it from the lineup.
    • Goofs
      Marjane's passport has her given name and surname switched.
    • Quotes

      Marjane's grandmother: Listen. I don't like to preach, but here's some advice. You'll meet a lot of jerks in life. If they hurt you, remember it's because they're stupid. Don't react to their cruelty. There's nothing worse than bitterness and revenge. Keep your dignity and be true to yourself.

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: The Bucket List/The Orphanage/The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep/There Will Be Blood/Honeydripper/Persepolis (2008)
    • Soundtracks
      Eye of the Tiger
      Written by Jim Peterik (as James Peterik), Frankie Sullivan (as Franck Sullivan III)

      (c) Three Wise Boys Music / Ensign Music Corp c/o BMG Music Publishing France

      (c) WB Music Corp / Easy Action Music

      By permission from Warner Chappell Music France and BMG Music Vision

      Performed by Chiara Mastroianni

      Arranged by Olivier Bernet

    User reviews196

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    A whole new kind of animation
    Persepolis is one of the most thoughtful, poignant and original films I have ever seen. Hang on, "poignant" and "thoughful", an animated movie (and based on a comic-book, on top of that)? Exactly, because coincidentally Persepolis also happens to be the first really adult "cartoon" I've had the pleasure to watch (Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly don't count, as they were filmed with real actors first, and subsequently modified in post-production). For all their good intentions, the likes of Dreamworks and Pixar always have an eye for what the little ones want to see, while The Simpsons, despite the occasional "mature" storyline (basically Homer and Marge's sex life), contains nothing a 12-year old isn't supposed to see. As for Family Guy and South Park, they might be aimed at grown-ups with their merciless satire and, in the case of the latter series, explicit language, but are made with an almost puerile sense of joy which prompts younger kids to watch them in secret. Persepolis, on the other hand, deals with adult themes in a serious, unpretentious way. So yes, it is an animated film. Yes, it is based on a comic-book. And yes, there is the occasional neat movie reference (Rocky III being the most memorable one). That doesn't mean it's a kids' movie, though; it just means the picture was made with a particular style because it was the most effective way to tell this specific story.

    And what is so special about the story? Well, it is an account of what is going on in contemporary Iran, a topic that is more relevant today than it's ever been before. And the extra layer of poignancy derives from the fact that co-director Marjane Satrapi experienced every single event in the film. After moving to France to avoid the increasingly oppressive political situation that had developed in Teheran (which the ancient Greeks called Persepolis, hence the movie's title), she published her autobiography in the form of a graphic novel, which immediately became a cult phenomenon. With the help of artist Vincent Paronnaud, the stylized drawings have become a motion picture which has already conquered critics and won several awards (the Jury Prize in Cannes being one of them).

    The film's strict adherence to the book's style makes for simple but powerful viewing: the simple pictures ensure the story doesn't need to be filtered, but can be understood right away, while the use of black and white provide the images with a strength that would otherwise be missing. A good example is a scene depicting a demonstration against the despotic regime in Iran and the subsequent shooting of one of the protesters, whose body is left lying on the ground: as his blood starts to flow, the corpse almost merges with the environment, giving the shot (pun not intended) an emotional relevance it wouldn't have, had the whole thing been in color. The choice of animation proves to be particularly effective in a most unusual choice for this kind of film, namely fantasy sequences: there is a hilarious moment, for instance, when Marjane, during a stay in Vienna, looks back on her disappointment in love and sees her ex-boyfriend as a depraved freak; live-action would have ruined that scene, undoubtedly. As it is, however, it comes off not as a bizarre formal experiment, but a fundamental tool for understanding the heroine's psychology.

    That said, it should also be noted that Persepolis isn't just a bold take on the difficulties in the Middle East. As seen in Clint Eastwoood's Iwo Jima double bill, the line between "heroes" and "villains" is very thin, and the film never misses the opportunity to show how bad our own society can be: Marjane ends up hating Europe more than her home-country, and at the beginning a flashback shows the British government's role in manipulating Iranian politics for money's sake. Incidentally, the latter scene is depicted as a puppet show, providing a new, fresh angle: what sets truth apart from fiction?

    Persepolis works because it handles an uncomfortable subject with grace, using a simple but constantly effective storytelling technique and never once pandering to audience expectations with the usual 'toon gimmicks (even the casting proves that: except for Catherine Deneuve, who plays the low-key role of Marjane's mother, there are no famous voices in the feature). It sticks to traditions and stretches the medium at the same time, showing that animation is no longer a "children's genre" and therefore delivering a new way to look at film-making and its possibilities. For this reason, and several more, it is one of the best pictures of 2007.
    helpful•143
    39
    • MaxBorg89
    • Dec 31, 2007

    FAQ5

    • Is "Persepolis" based on a book?
    • How closely does the movie follow the novels?
    • What is "Persepolis"?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 22, 2008 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official MySpace (France)
      • Official site (Spain)
    • Languages
      • French
      • English
      • Persian
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Giấc Mơ Kỳ Lạ
    • Production companies
      • 2.4.7. Films
      • France 3 Cinéma
      • The Kennedy/Marshall Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $7,300,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $4,445,756
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $88,826
      • Dec 30, 2007
    • Gross worldwide
      • $22,783,978
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 36 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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