Persian Perfection

As we see Marjane reach adolescence, her parents send her to Austria, so that she can grow up in an environment that doesn't have quite the restrictions that she does in Iran. Here she makes new friends and indulges in activities that wouldn't have been permitted in her homeland – she drinks, smokes openly and has sex and eventually falls in love. There's a touching tale of growing up and finding out about the realities of life and love amid all the political background.

She begins to feel homesick after realising that she's not herself whilst in Austria, even denying her origins at one point and this causes her to become alienated and depressed. Her attempts to fit in don't succeed and she begins to long for familiarity. With that, she returns to Iran, but finds that things have changed while she's been away and the oppressive government which she left has become even more restrictive – the homeland that she missed is no longer there.

Persepolis manages to achieve what few films ever do; it's serious and light-hearted, touching and funny, simple yet complex. Marjane's angry response to a nihilistic peer's dismissive comment about politics is “People died for what they believed in - it's not a game”. Marjane is all too aware of the realities of politic upheaval and whilst most western “coming of age” stories involve some kind of trivial, manufactured obstacle, Marjane's are real, deep, and genuinely life changing and Persepolis captures what It means to truly grow up beautifully.