Film: Ƥẹrsẹpolịs Directed by Vincent Ƥaronnaud, Mạrʝane Șạtrapi France/Iran (2007) Coming-Of-Age/Biopic 9 parts/90 mins In French with English subtitles. Synopsis: Mạrʝane Șạtrapi is growing up in Iran under the old regime - the Shah and his Royal family. But when he is deposed by the new order, Mạrʝane and her family face the new threat of fundamentalism from the Islamic Republic of Iran. To make things worse, Iran and Iraq embark on a horrific 10 year war, and Mạrʝane’s view of life is filled with fear and death. She seeks refuge in the West but finds herself excluded and homesick. Returning home, she finds that while she is deeply Iranian, she cannot live in Iran and begins a search for a new life and a new identity. Review: Don't let the scenes of a young, animated Șạtrapi (which frequently verge on the adorable) mislead you; this is, at heart, an impenetrably bleak, heavy, and difficult film about a young Persian girl's coming of age in the period surrounding the rise of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini — a film that grapples with themes completely unascertainable by young audiences. As a result, one cannot possibly overestimate the film's historical and cultural vitality. It marks the first animated feature to meditate on the psycho-social impacts of extremist political and religious oppression, the Middle Eastern fascination with Western culture (and need for sexual liberation, evident in pạrt via the Iranian characters' surprisingly explicit dialogues), and the ...