Persepolis: A Movie About The Other Truth

Ignoring what is happening outside of Western culture and the Western world is a pretty clear trend in society. One can almost say that people in the western world on a large scale know almost nothing about the reality in other countries. For most people, everything from Western culture is “good” and that is the example the whole world should follow. Marjane Satrapi captured that idea in Persepolis , her autobiographical animated film based on her graphic novel of the same name.

In the novel, Satrapi tells what happened to her and her motherland Iran in the late 1970s. Persepolis premiered in 2007 and was well received at the Cannes Film Festival. Marjane Satrapi grew up in a progressive middle-class family in Iran. She was a child when the Iranian revolution began in 1979. She was a student at the École Française de Téhéran (an international school in Tehran) in Iran and continued her studies in Vienna.

The story unfolds

The story is told from Marjane’s perspective. Through her eyes, we learn about events that few people in the West even know about. The film shows how Iranian society developed, how it became the Islamic country we know today, and the consequences of war.

Although the main character is a young girl, the fact that the film is black and white gives it a more serious tone. As Marjane grows and the revolution progresses, Persepolis becomes more dramatic and tragic. As Marjane becomes aware of what is happening in the country, the audience realizes how little they know and how much they still have to learn.

In the film, we see some of humanity’s cruelty from the perspective of an innocent girl. Persepolis is an artistic commentary on the dangers of ideas, the pain of oppression and the ups and downs of the revolution. History shows what happened to ordinary people during these historic events, not just what happened to political and military leaders. The truth of the film is subjective. After all, the story is told from one point of view: the young Marjanes.

Discover another reality in Persepolis

Marjane shows us a 1970s Iran that is very different from what we might imagine. What surprises most Western viewers is that it is similar to any European country. Marjane’s family is progressive and they believe in revolution and the fall of the shah. None of the women wear the hijab and all drink and go to parties.

Although Marjane has always been religious, she attends a secular school for both boys and girls. Marjane’s family is wealthy, so the life she lives is probably somewhat different from the rest of the population.

At first, Marjane does not understand the revolution. At school, they teach students that God chose the shah, and she does not understand why her family does not support him. Her confusion leads her to investigate the family history. The revolution was a way to end the monarchy and the right of inheritance in positions of power, and it promised freedom. Those who believed in it saw it as a path to freedom. But what actually happened during the revolution and immediately after, was far from what many had imagined.

Young Marjane’s education

Despite her young age , Marjane begins to support the revolution. She reads books, listens to family stories, etc. However, what really convinces her to support the revolutionaries are class differences (although her family is relatively unaffected by this).

The Satrapi family has a young and illiterate resident maid. She comes from a poor family and has taken care of Marjane since she was very young. They grew up together and Marjane always feels ashamed that she can not eat with the family. For Marjane, the revolution means the end of social classes and equality for all. As a child, she is not burdened by her parents’ prejudices. She is ashamed to drive around in her parents’ Cadillac while other children have to work.

The revolution took an unexpected turn and turned into an Islamic revolution. Many Iranians feared for their lives and their freedom. Thus, Marjane had to say goodbye to some friends and relatives who fled to other countries to escape the new regime. Shortly after the fall of the shah, the secular schools were closed. At their new schools, the girls were required to wear the hijab.

These changes, along with the war between Iran and Iraq, mean that Marjane quickly loses her childhood innocence. Her parents then decided to send her to Europe to continue her studies. Her privileged social position and her years at the French school made it easier for her to enter a French school in Vienna.

Life in Europe

Marjane struggled when she came to Europe. She did not speak the language and fled the war. The most progressive students showed some fascination with her story, but it was superficial. They wanted to satisfy their curiosity, but they did not want to leave their comfortable European bubble. At the same time, Marjane faced criticism from the more conservative faction. They were narrow-minded and reluctant to learn about other cultures. Sometimes Marjane lied about her nationality to avoid conflict.

Marjane never fit into Europe, so she returned to Iran. She did not fit in there either. This is because she did not go through the worst of the war and did not suffer what her neighbors and friends suffered. Her problems were “westernized”. She graduated and tried to start a life in Tehran, but she never found her niche. Thus, she decided to move to Paris.

In Persepolis, Satrapi records his perspective on the revolution and the war. She shows how difficult it was to adapt to a country where the people and culture made it difficult for her to integrate.

In Europe, she tries to find people who share her ideals. But she finds that life is so different from everything she knew, and the same ideas take a completely different form. Europeans are comfortable and their ideas are more superficial.

A story that makes us reflect

Persepolis is not an objective story of the Iranian revolution. It is an autobiographical, reflective film. It invites the viewer to think about the total lack of awareness in the West about the rest of the world. She questions the ingrained prejudices and ignorance of Western culture.

History also shows commonalities that people in many cultures share. Marjan’s parents, for example, are apparently progressive, but they supported those who deprived them of their liberty. They also promoted equality despite having a maid and countless privileges.

Persepolis is a film we can all learn something from. Just like Marjane, who shapes her opinion as she moves from childish innocence to cruel reality, the viewer’s eyes open to the rest of the world. Maybe, just maybe, the world would be a little easier if we all still had some of the childish innocence that we lost.