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Illustrating a traumatic childhood

A A A Comments By Jennifer Elaine Davis Thursday, Feb 14 2008

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I just spent half an hour reading Wikipedia to refresh my memory on Persephone, Greek goddess of the underworld. Too bad this is about Persepolis, which has nothing to do with Greece. At least I feel smarter. Luckily, having a little bit of working knowledge of the burgeoning graphic novel world, I can roll with Persepolis off the top of my head. Written by Marjane Satrapi, an Iranian expatriate, the graphic novel is a autobiographical piece detailing her experiences in an country that shifted radically in the early 1980s. Her political views and outspoken rejection of the fundamentalism that was taking over Iran caused her family to export her to boarding school in Vienna at a young age. Her adolescence at the boarding school is traumatic, and she returns home where she sinks further into a deep state of depression. She is finally sent to France for good, where she remains today. The graphic novel, much like Alison Bechdel's well-known Fun Home, is a moving portrait of a precocious childhood amidst turmoil. The translation to film is truly visionary, earning the animated piece tons of accolades including the Special Jury Prize at Cannes and an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature. Catch Persepolis at The Modern, 3200 Darnell St., at 6 and 8 p.m. Friday, 5 p.m. Saturday, and 2 and 4 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $8.50. Visit themodern.org.
Feb. 15-17, 2008