Persepolis

PERSEPOLIS (2007) - Sept. 8, 2007
About a young girl's experiences growing up in revolutionary Iran, this was a really well made, enjoyable film. Beautifully animated in a simple, stark black-and-white style that suits the material perfectly, the film manages to have a fairly epic feel without seeming overlong. It also does a really good job of developing the main character and making her someone we really care about. Marjane Satrapi, the co-director of the film and the writer of the comic memoir on which it is based, deftly mixes comedy and drama -- the movie is quite funny at times but it never feels forced or undercuts the drama. I think Ratatouille is going to have some serious competition for best animated film at next year's Oscars. ****