Persepolis

Ok, I really should be writing a paper for school (I'm halfway done, yeah!), but I need to take a break, so I'm going to tell you about a movie Naomi and I went to last night. It was my first time at the movie theater in a long while (too expensive, rather spend my limited $$ on other things, etc). We saw Persepolis, a movie based on these books that Naomi, being a graphic novel lover, has read more than a few times. . .
They are based on a true story of Marjane Satrapi, a woman who grew up in Iran during the overthrowing of the Shah (yeah, they were so happy!), only to face the even worse Iraq-Iran War and the Islamic Revolution (boo! had to wear veils, strict religious laws, even worse than the Shah, etc.). It is the story of her growing up surrounded by war in an outspoken, liberal family. She is sent to Vienna, Austria as a teen, only to eventually become an outcast and homeless and returning to Iran as an older teen/young woman and living in the oppressive government complete with getting arrested for holding hands with her boyfriend and speaking up against the oppression to her teachers at art school (whew, how's that for a run-on sentence)! Naomi and I give it two thumbs up. Great animation, great storyline, admirable characters whom you will come to love. We will definitely be checking it out again when it comes out on video. Warning. . . it is in French with subtitles, but really, it does not detract from the movie. Just makes me want to learn French!