A FILM REVIEW: "THE BREADWINNER" AND "PERSEPOLIS"

REVIEW: "THE REVIEW: "THE BREADWINNER BREADWINNER " AND " AND "PERSEPOLIS" "PERSEPOLIS"

BY MARYSSA ORTA AND MILLA NGUYEN

"PERSEPOLIS" (2007)

BY MARYSSA ORTA

Directed by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud

Persepolis tells the story of Marjane Satrapi’s childhood and coming of age during the Iranian Revolution. This true story is based on Satrapi’s comic of the same name. Marjane, as an adult in a French airport, she reflects on her time as a young child in Iran. Suddenly, the film switches from color to black and white - a choice made by Satrapi in order to show how countries and their people have similar fates and ideas. Marjane, as a young child, is a witness to her parents’ worries, the growing violence around her, and her uncle Anoosh’s stories about being a radical and his eventual re-arrest and execution.

When Marjane is sent to Vienna by her parents, she becomes isolated as she moves from home to home until she is homeless. On the condition that her parents do not question her, she returns to Iran and attends university. However, after a series of fines for holding hands with a man, a death of a friend, and sexist ideas, she moves to France. Persepolis's character is given artistic advantages, which pertains to the fact that the author's input is the focus of the creative decisions. Satrapi’s story is dear to her and all the emotions / experiences felt incredibly moving and realistic. Do not let its black-and-white, almost bleak, look a prevent you from seeing such an amazing film.

Persepolis challenges ideas of eastern and western feminism. It critiques the Iranian government for placing strict rules on women and passing them off as protection. It also critiques western ideas that the veil is only a symbol of female oppression in the east when throughout the movie there are there are characters who wear it willingly and those who do not.

The film also explores the complex relationship Marjane has with her Iranian identity. In Vienna, she lies about her Iranian roots, telling a boy at a party she is French instead. However, after hearing the voice of her grandmother tell her to stay true to herself, she feels shame for what she has done and stands up for herself when hearing a group of girls mock her for her lie. Marjane wants to identify as Iranian but does not want to identify with the oppressive ideas of Iran. She does not want to align herself with the oppressive ideas she is a victim of.

It’s clear that this was a story Satrapi was passionate about telling and sharing with the world. It not only tells the story of Iran but the story of Satrapi’s family and those who have died due to their beliefs, such as her uncle Anoosh. Anoosh told her the story of his life so their family could remember it forever and by bringing it to film, it was immortalized. As a beautiful, emotional, and informational film, Persepolis is worth the watch.

"THE BREADWINNER" (2017)

BY MILLA NGUYEN

Directed by Nora Twomey

The Breadwinner is a story of Parvana, an eleven year old girl who is living in Kabul under the Taliban's Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Her father is a retired soldier of a war and started an underground school to teach women how to read/ write against the Taliban rule. One of the laws established was that women were not allowed to go outside without a male relative and young women were often sold as brides during a young age. In order to feed her starving family, Parvana cuts her hair and disguises herself as a boy. She meets Shauzia, another girl who disguises herself as a boy to get by. Later on in the story, Parvana's father is caught and arrested / sent to Taliban prison where he will be tortured. Her mother begs for his release and is beaten. Then, her mother has to promise her eldest daughter's hand in marriage to a son of another family. Parvana and Shauzia are constantly threatened at the marketplace. Later in the story, Parvana takes it open herself to try and rescue her father by meeting Razaq, a Taliban soldier that asks her to teach him how to read and write. In the end, in a deadly standoff, Parvana enters the prison and rescues her beaten father. Later, they reunite with the rest of their family.

Theme

In essence, this film follows a similar path that Disney's Mulan does. It is about finding your core identity and having resilience when times get really difficult. In essence of Parvana, she is a triumphant example of female power at a young age. She never gave up on what you believed in and the goal of saving her father (in an extremely dangerous situation). I also believe that Twomey's sense of art direction and animation allow viewers to appreciate the child-like innocence and novelty fantasy myths while intense sequences are happening. While this film isn't a complete and honest picture of what life looks life in Kabul, it does address dangerous situations that have happened/ can happen.

As addressed in other articles in this magazine issue, citing "Women's Rights in the Middle East" by Ananyaa Mahajan, it is clear that women and men haven't had equality for a long time, It also means that female activists and organizations are pushing for change.

In terms of symbolism, I would say that Parvana's relationship with her father illustrates love and strength. Parvana's father valued education and always protected his daughters by fending soldiers off them. He also taught Parvana to stay true to herself and to be brave. I also believe Soraya, Parvana's sister is another example of the importance in choices. Soraya had no choice over who she could marry and was forced to do it to save her family. She was oppressed by society's ways and yet she tried her best with her circumstances.

Involvement

The film was also produced by Angelina Jolie, a UN ambassador for Afghani girls' education. As a renowned actress and entrepreneur, she is able to spread awareness. Another producer, Mimi Polk Gitlin who is known for feminist films was also a part of the project.

The screenwriter- Anita Doron had commissioned Aman Mojadidi to work on the animation and art direction. The team also consulted Afghani organizations for their accuracy of the film's story.

Conclusion

Ultimately, this film changed my perspective on the treatment of women, citizen struggles, and cultural differences around the world. I would highly recommend anyone to watch this film. It is a story about hope, family, and perseverance through hardships.