PERSEPOLIS MOVIE REVIEW

Persepolis takes place during Iran’s Islamic Revolution from the 1970s to the 1980s. The film is told from the perspective of a young girl named Marjane who grows up during this time. 

The film is based off the graphic novels of Marjane Satrapi which are a semi-autobiographical account of her life growing up in Iran. From the start of the film it’s clear that Marjane is very curious of her surroundings, always asking questions, sometimes to the point of irritation of her peers.
The film is also animated and is limited to a monotone colour palette helping emphasise the sombre tone of the film. The animation is very striking and some of the more surreal imagery is visually effective in showing Marjane’s child-like view of her world. 

We follow Marjan’s family as they deal with this huge political and social change within their country. Once things start to take a dark turn in, order to keep Marjane safe they send her away. 

The film explores Marjane’s experience with pop culture, specifically western pop culture. It delves into the traditions of her culture and the impact it has on the women of Iran. It’s this balance of cultures that stand as Marjane’s core conflict. 

Persepolis tells a personal story of coming of age, hope, discovery and dealing with different cultures and the difficulties they present. It’s clear to see the passion behind the project in the engaging characters, story and animation. Satrapi succeeds in providing a snapshot into Iranian culture and the journey she has gone through to reach this point. 

HEAVENLY CREATURES REVIEW

Heavenly Creatures is a 1994 film by Peter Jackson who both directed and wrote the screenplay along with his wife Fran Walsh. The film is based on the true story of Juliet Hulme and her best friend Pauline Parker as they form a close bond and the terrible lengths they go to to keep their relationship intact.

The film follows Pauline, a quiet slightly frumpy girl who doesn't seem to have a lot of friends, this changes when a new girl joins the her class, Juliet. Juliet is smart, free spirited and lively and the pair soon become good friends.

They share their love of stories, drawing, film stars and music. the girls become inseparable and spend almost all their time together. As the film progresses we start to see some of the demons the girls carry with them and how similar they are. Pauline injuring her leg when she young and having to spend a lot of time bed-bound. Juliet too fell ill at a young age and she was left alone for several months to recover.

Its this fear of abandonment and loneliness that strongly connects the girls, as no matter what happens they will always have each other. This is when the parents of the girls start to become concerned with the amount of time they're spending together leading to the speculation of the girls sexuality. The parents make several attempts to separate the girls which leads them to concoct a plan to make sure they can stay together.

The film showcases the trials and tribulations of being a teenager and trying to discover who you are, it delves into the psyche of the girls and how they cope with their past and interfering parents. They are several scenes in which the girls travel to their imagined world a kingdom of their own creation to escape the horrors of the reality.  Despite the film's dramatic and horrifying ending, it allows us the see the journey that led them to this conclusion and maybe understand why they would commit this act.

The film manages to blend its genre, taking a mostly dramatic tone but there overtones which wouldn't be out of place in a horror film as the film builds to its close. A strong dramatic emotional film that captures the tragedy and danger of friendship and love and serves as a strong showcase for Jackson's talent which he would go on to solidify in his magnum opus, The Lord of The Rings Trilogy seven years later.