"Persepolis" is an animated (mostly black & white) movie based on the graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi. When we are first introduced to Marji in this autobiographical tale, she's a precocious nine-year old girl growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Eventhough her grandfather and uncle have both been imprisoned, she's a typical young girl who wears Adidas sneakers, loves french fries with ketchup, and whose idol is Bruce Lee. The movie's mini-history lesson serves as a backdrop to Marjane's coming of age story, overlapping events occurring in Iran, such as when the fundamentalists take power and the women have to start wearing head scarfs as well as the Iran/Iraq war, with Marjane's discovery of her own voice and the need to be true to herself. This isn't your typical animated movie--no birdies singing or Pixar animation--but it's definitely worth seeing. It's message of self-empowerment and fortitude shine through even without any CGI or special effects.
