Persepolis
Director: Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi
Year Released: 2007
Rating: 3.0
A brief history of Iran from graphic artist Satrapi is notable not simply for being a incisive critique of the grotesque living conditions due to Islamic fascism (or whatever it is you choose to call it) but also for being told from the point of view of a woman from Iran. The mostly black-and-white (and minimal) animation is a true delight, making up for missteps, and Satrapi's not afraid to show herself as flawed - she's sometimes lethargic, stubborn and prone to error, but she has a strong voice and wants to be heard. Yes, it's probably a little pandering to the West (number of times the CIA gets mentioned: once. Number of times America is blamed for anything: zero) and consciously approachable (she actually likes punk!) though it's nice to hear there's some progressive thinking going on in a country represented by someone as odious as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
