Animation, Rep and Power of Personal Story

8/3/2019 Animation, Rep and Power of Personal Story

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M

Animation,representationand the

power of thepersonal story

and the

Persepolis arjane Satrapi’s Persepolis

(2007), based on her graphic

novels o the same name, is

one o a growing number o

flms that employs ormats

such as animation, which is

traditionally aimed at younger

audiences, to depict complex

and conronting subject mat-ter. In doing so, such flms

oer interesting avenues o

investigation or students and

educators, not only in terms

o the stories told, but also in

relation to how these artistic

and aesthetic techniques

aect the narrative structures

and modes o representation

oered.

Author, illustrator and flm-

maker Marjane Satrapi was

born in Rasht, Iran, in 1969.1

As a child she witnessed one

o the most dramatic periods

in her country’s recent history:

the overthrow o the shah in

1979, the subsequent Islamic

Revolution and the Iran–Iraq

War. The flm Persepolis

charts her childhood in

Tehran, her secondary educa-

tion in Vienna and her tertiarystudies in Iran, and concludes

with her decision to leave Iran

permanently or France. The

ormative years o childhood,

adolescence and early adult-

hood are negotiated during a

period o great ux and

trauma or her country, her

amily and hersel. Through

her graphic novels and this

flm, Satrapi depicts these

events and experiences with

rankness, humour, poignancy

and emotional power.

Qusios of

psio

When approaching cultural and

historical traumas – such as

war, revolution and genocide

– questions are oten raised

about how these events are to

be represented, who is ‘enti-

tled’ to represent them, andwhether they should be repre-

sented at all. Philosopher

Theodor Adorno amously

stated that ‘To write poetry ater

Auschwitz is barbaric’,2 a senti-

ment still around in present-day

thinking. One example would

be French flmmaker Claude

Lanzmann, who argues that the

Holocaust overrides any orm

o visual representation and

‘erects a ring o fre around

itsel … because there is a cer-

tain ultimate degree o horror

that cannot be transmitted’ 3

KateWarren

2010


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2010

In a sense, animation

acknowledges the impossi-

bility o representation and is

a less didactic approach to

depicting particular stories or

events. Although it lacks the

element o realism associ-

ated with documentaries and

docudramas, animation

imbues its subject matter

with other distinct aesthetic

and narrative characteristics.

Increasingly, artists, writers

and flmmakers are using ani-

mation to tackle traumatic

stories in ways that also oer

accessible means o dealing

with such difcult content.

A seminal example, to which

Persepolis is oten compared,

is Art Spiegelman’s Maus, in

which the author presents the

oral testimony o his ather, a

survivor o Auschwitz. As a

graphic novel that tackles

adult subject matter, Maus is

not unique.4 However,

Spiegelman’s decision to

draw his characters as

dierent animals according to

their nationality is particularly

evocative – Jews are depict-

ed as mice, Germans as cats,

Poles as pigs, Americans as

dogs. Spiegelman’s use o

animal substitutes acknowl-

edges ‘the ultimate inauthen-

ticity o his representations’5

and the inherent difculties

and contradictions that

emerge when portraying

personal histories o such

trauma and magnitude.

Animation oers a means or

deeply personal, sometimes

dangerous, stories to be told

without the burden o main-

taining realism and negotiat-

ing ‘authentic’ reconstruction.

Satrapi explains her reason

or choosing animation, say-

ing that she ears live-action

‘would have turned

[Persepolis] into a story o

people living in a distant land

who don’t look like us’.6

Contemporary modes o his-

toriography increasingly

orego the traditionally linear

attempts to write history,7

acknowledging that personal

and collective/cultural memo-

ries and antasies are equally

important in the creation o

meaning around events.8

Animation is an excellent

vehicle to explore the interre-

lations between memory,

antasy, dream and experi-

ence. Persepolis’ simple and

at times austere visual style

lends the flm not only a eel-

ing o universality, but also a

deep sense o individuality

and personal vision.9

a imd choic

Persepolis was made using

traditional hand-drawn cell

animation. Satrapi set up her

own studio in Paris, working

with cult French illustrator

Vincent Paronnaud as co-

writer and co-director.10

Together they have drawn

stylistically rom the illustra-

tions o Satrapi’s novels,

extrapolating and adapting

them or the cinema. The

animated images were fn-

ished using elt pens,11 thus

retaining the dense black-

and-white monochrome o

the novels while adding evoc-

atively textured backgrounds

and cinematic reerences.

The animated orm allows

Persepolis to distance itsel

rom contemporary stereo-

types that surround Iran,

particularly in light o George

W. Bush’s inclusion o the

country in the ‘Axis o Evil’

and ongoing debates over its

potential nuclear ambitions.

The city o Tehran is depicted

obliquely in the flm, lacking

specifcally cultural, geo-

graphical or historical reer-

The lm’s images differentiate themselves fromubiquitous news footage, operating in the

realm of symbols as opposed to documentation.



ents; it could be any number

o cities in any number o

countries. It is through the

central characters that the

signifcance o the surround-

ing events is interpreted and

understood. When Marjane’s

ather (Sean Penn) tells his

young daughter (Amethyste

Frezignac) o how Iran’s Reza

Shah Pahlavi and his son

came to rule their country, his

story is presented in the orm

o a Persian puppet show,12

a reerence to Iran’s lengthy

history and cultural heritage

that stretches much urther

back than many contempo-

rary perceptions.13

Stereotypes and assumptionssurrounding contemporary

conicts and issues are ur-

nished largely through the

news media and the urry o

images that bombard us daily.

These images can achieve

iconic status with remarkable

speed and endurance, some-

times becoming more recog-

nisable than the original

event.14 Persepolis, too,

depicts such iconic images o

conict, such as army tanks

rolling through city streets,

stone-throwing crowds and

statues being torn down in

celebration. Within the flm’s

narrative, such events are

centred on the deposition o

the shah; however, through

high-contrast black-and-

white animation the images

lose their specifcity. The

flm’s images dierentiate

themselves rom ubiquitous

news ootage, operating in

the realm o symbols as

opposed to documentation.

The abstractional nature o

animation lends these scenes

a universal quality, oering

oblique images that broader

audiences can relate to or

empathise with.

The monochrome palette o

Persepolis also reects the

flm’s narrative, as lie or Mar-

jane and her amily in Tehran

becomes increasingly

restricted and dangerous ater

the Islamic government is

installed. As with German

expressionist flms and Ameri-

can flm noir, Persepolis uses

contrasts between darkness

and light to represent the inner

motivations, emotions and

experiences o its characters.

Persepolis employs a style o

animation that oten renders

the black areas o the rame

particularly dense and without

texture or a sense o depth.

Ater her beloved Uncle

Anouche (Iggy Pop) is

re-arrested by the new Islamic

regime, Marjane is shown

against this pure black

background, so that the

outline o her black hair and

clothing merge and disappear

within the rame. Her fgure is

depicted oating in this black

void, communicating the

sense o isolation experienced

by her and her amily in the

ace o such personal losses.

exil d u

From the flm’s opening

scene, the character o Mar-

jane is positioned between

cultures and environs. In the

opening moments, Marjane is

shown waiting solemnly at

Paris-Orly airport, where she

elicits a disapproving look

rom the woman beside her

as she puts a veil on her

head. These contemporary

images o Marjane are the

only moments o colour,

bookending and punctuating

the flm. Along with the voice-

over, they designate the story

as an extended ashback. Yet

Marjane does not board the

plane at Orly. She is shown

as a liminal fgure; this antici-

pates how Persepolis

explores the complex themes

o exile, homeland and return.

Ater the new Islamic govern-

ment has established itsel,

many amily members and

riends o the middle-class

Satrapi amily leave Iran, dis-

mayed that the joy and hope-

ulness experienced with the

removal o the shah has

been replaced by an equally

oppressive regime. The senseo isolation that accompanies

such dislocations is shown

as not only aecting the émi-

grés but also those let

behind. In one scene, Mar-

jane’s parents and amily

members reect on the

recent events, debating

whether they too should

leave. The fgures appear one

by one, standing in a spot-

light against a pure black

background, oten speaking

directly to camera. This



2010

sequence underscores the

growing sense o isolation

aced by those who remain,

their ties to the wider world

severed and their dreams or

the uture ading.

The theme o exile is compel-

lingly embodied in the char-

acter o Uncle Anouche. An

idealist and a revolutionary

who ought against the shah,

Anouche was orced into ex-

ile in Russia ater his own un-

cle was executed. Gaining an

education and a new lie in

his adopted country, Anouche

nonetheless risked everything

to return to his homeland.

Attempting to sneak across

the border in disguise,

Anouche was recognised and

imprisoned until the deposi-

tion o the shah. Marjane

meets her uncle upon his re-

lease and immediately con-

nects with this passionate

and hopeul fgure who

carves toy swans rom the

stale prison bread. Yet

Anouche’s progressive views

render him an enemy or the

new regime too and he is ulti-

mately executed. Again, the

visual prowess o the flm

communicates emotively the

anguish that Marjane eels at

the loss o her uncle, as her

two white swans are gently

enguled by black water.

The memory o Anouche

indirectly contributes to

Marjane’s own exile at a young

age. Ater repeatedly challeng-

ing her high school teachers,

inspired in part by her uncle’s

story, her parents send her

to study in Vienna, concerned

or her saety and uture

opportunities.

As previously noted, the

image o Tehran is rendered

non-specifcally; this is an

attempt to remove the sense

o ‘otherness’ that has histori-

cally been imposed upon

non-Western cultures and

countries. By contrast, the

Austrian elements are con-

noted as exotic and oreign:

Viennese trams and Jugendstil

architecture, Sachertorte

cakes and sidewalk caes,

yodelling and ringing church

bells. Unlike the minimal

depiction o the Tehran city-

scape, Vienna is animated as

an exaggerated, over-the-top

environment. The cobble-

stoned streets appear as

rolling hills and local super-

markets become akin to

amusement parks that Mar-

jane is able to joyully rollick

through.

The animated orm allows

such exaggerations to exist

convincingly within the flm’s

world and encourages view-

ers to experience the same

sense o wonder, oreignness

and culture shock that Mar-

jane eels. This is a world

completely oreign to the

young protagonist and while

appreciative o the opportuni-

ties aorded to her, she

retains a lingering sense o

guilt over her ‘rivolous lie’

while her amily aces thedarkness o war. Marjane

fnds it difcult to reconcile

her real-lie experiences o

revolution and death with the

idealistic and philosophical

musings o her ellow stu-

dents. Without the support

networks o her riends and

amily, she alls into a deep

depression ater a romantic

heartbreak and winds up

sleeping on the streets,

beore eventually returning to

Iran.

Persepolis counters the belief that to escapea dictatorial regime for a free country will bring

happiness ever after; rather, it depicts characterscaught between vastly different environments.



Persepolis counters the

belie that to escape a dicta-

torial regime or a ree

country will bring happiness

ever ater; rather, it depicts

characters caught between

vastly dierent environments.

Marjane struggles to accept

how her European acquaint-

ances perceive her culture.

Frustrated by their precon-

ceptions o Iranians as

‘barbaric’ and ‘ignorant’, she

at one point introduces her-

sel at a party as being

French.15 Yet Marjane’s

return to Tehran ater her

time in Vienna is bittersweet;

the city has been devastated

by the war and the govern-

ment has stied politicaldiscussion by imprisoning

and executing activists. As

young university students,

Marjane and her riends

become accustomed to the

restrictions imposed on

them, disregarding the

deeper implications on their

personal reedoms. Yet, as

will be discussed shortly, it

does not take long or the

opinionated Marjane to once

again begin challenging and

questioning this state o

aairs, resulting in a more

permanent ight rom her

homeland.

Psol soy,

bod implicios

As the previous discussions

imply, Persepolis is unda-

mentally a personal ‘coming

o age’ story, set amid uniquesituations and events, and

this makes it a rewarding and

accessible text or students.

The flm is not a political call

to arms or a historical docu-

mentation; it is a distinctly

personal vision with broader

implications. Importantly,

Persepolis oers a protago-

nist whom viewers can

immediately identiy with and

relate to. Young Marjane is

spirited, outspoken and

cheeky, idolising Bruce Lee

as a child and obsessing over

punk music as a teenager.

Like any adolescent she can

be irresponsible, inconsider-

ate and reckless. While such

traits are normal in teenagers

across cultures, Persepolis

eectively depicts the poten-

tially brutal repercussions

they can have in situations o

conict and oppression.

Children instinctively reect

and imitate the adult inu-

ences in their lives; however,

in situations o war and vio-

lence this can have deeper

ramifcations. When the shah

is overthrown, an old amily

riend o the Satrapis, Siamak

Jari, is released rom jail ater

spending years as a political

prisoner. Upon his return,

Siamak describes his experi-

ences o torture at the hands

o his captors. The entire

amily is present to hear

Siamak’s harrowing testimony,

including young Marjane.

As a child unable to properly

comprehend the magnitude o

such stories, Marjane naturally

turns these experiences into

a game. In the ollowing scene,

Marjane and her riendsimmediately begin to mimic

and role-play the stories o

murder and torture. They

fnd some nails in a toolbox

and pick their victim, a young

classmate called Ramine.

Believing that Ramine’s ather

worked or the shah’s secret

police, the children decide that

he must have killed ‘a million

people’. They chase the young

boy through the streets with

nails in their fsts, vowing to

gouge his eyes out. This brie

The lm is not a political call to arms or a historicaldocumentation; it is a distinctly personal vision

with broader implications.



2010

pursuit is presented in a

comical, almost slapstick

ashion, yet the ervour with

which the children adopt these

personae hints at the way that

impressionable young minds

can easily be converted to the

belie systems o the adults

around them.

Characters in Persepolis

oten struggle to compre-

hend, reconcile and adjust to

the severely and rapidly

changing social and political

realities. Some o the impacts

are immediate but other

eects are elt gradually and

are ongoing. The ollowing

example is more menacing in

terms o how it conveys theconsequences o careless

actions. As a university stu-

dent, Marjane is waiting on

the street to meet her boy-

riend when the police arrive

unexpectedly and begin

questioning the people in the

street. Knowing she could be

in serious trouble or the

make-up and outft she is

wearing, Marjane impulsively

accuses a nearby male

bystander o harassing her.

The man is quickly taken

away and Marjane is let to

return home without hassle.

This is an important point o

character development.

Pleased with her ingenuity,

Marjane explains proudly to

her grandmother (Gena

Rowlands) how she avoided

punishment rom the authori-

ties. Her hard-nosed grand-

mother is scathing in her

response, dismayed at Mar-

jane’s lack o integrity. Preoc-

cupied by her own personal

lie and concerns (like most

teenagers), Marjane has shut

her eyes to the reality o lie

under the oppressive Iranian

authorities that could deal out

potentially severe (andunspecifed) punishments to

her unwitting victim. It takes

the stern rebuke o her grand-

mother or Marjane to recon-

nect the sacrifces o amily

members such as Anouche

with her present situation.

I Persepolis had been a Hol-

lywood docudrama, such a

moment might have been

connoted overtly as a unda-

mental narrative turning point,

perhaps accompanied by a

swelling score and character

ashbacks. However, in the

flm’s simpler narrative struc-

ture and animated orm the

signifcance o the moment

reveals itsel more gently.

Gradually, Marjane once again

begins to question the sur-

rounding structures o

authority as she did as a

cheeky and argumentative

child. Marjane’s fnal decision

to leave Iran or France is

clearly one rom which there

is no going back, and reveals

the reason why, at the flm’s

beginning, she ailed to board

a Tehran-bound ight at Orly

airport. Although the events o

Persepolis are clearly coded

as memories o the past, theycontinue to exert their eects

in the present. Despite Perse-

polis’ monochrome palette,

the stories it tells and the

issues it highlights are any-

thing but black and white.

Please note: there are French

and English versions o the

flm Persepolis , with dierent

actors providing the voices or

some characters. This article

reers to the English version.

Kate Warren is a Melbourne-

based writer and curator.

Her research interests include

the relationship between

cultural memory and history

in cinema and contemporary

art practices.

Endnotes1 Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis,

Pantheon Books, New York,

2003.2 Adorno did later revise this

much-quoted statement.

See Theodor Adorno in

Theodor Adorno & Rol

Tiedemann (eds), Can

One Live ater Auschwitz?:

A Philosophical Reader ,

Stanord University Press,

Stanord, 2003, pp.xv–xvi.3 Lanzmann’s epic documen-

tary Shoah (1985) is the

realisation o this strongly

held belie. Lanzmann made

the comment in response to

the release o Steven

Spielberg’s flm Schindler’s

List (1993). See Claude

Lanzmann, ‘Why Spielberg

has Distorted the Truth’,

Manchester Guardian

Weekly , 3 April 1994, p.14.

4 Other interesting examples

to consider are Harvey



Pekar’s American Splendor ,

the work o American

illustrator Robert Crumb,

the rich tradition o Japa-

nese manga, and recently

THE 99, a comic series

eaturing superheroes

based on Islamic culture

and society.5 Joan Gibbons, Contempo-

rary Art and Memory:

Images o Recollection and

Remembrance, I.B. Tauris,

London & New York, 2007,

p.89.6 Marjane Satrapi, ‘Interview

with Marjane Satrapi – Di-

rector/Author o Persepo-

lis’, Payvand Iran News,

26 December 2007,

<http://payvand.com/ news/07/dec/1254.html>,

accessed 25 November

2008.7 See Jerey K. Olick, ‘From

Collective Memory to the

Sociology o Mnemonic

Practices and Products’,

in Astrid Erll & Ansgar

Nünning (eds), Cultural

Memory Studies: An

International and Interdisci-

plinary Handbook , Walter de

Gruyter, Berlin & New York,

2008, p.151. Also see Astrid

Erll, ‘Cultural Memory

Studies: An Introduction’, in

Astrid Erll & Ansgar Nünning

(eds), op. cit., pp.1–15.8 Marita Sturken, Tangled

Memories: The Vietnam

War, the AIDS Epidemic,

and the Politics o Remem-

bering, University o

Caliornia Press, Berkeley

& Los Angeles, 1997, p.36.9 Released at a similar time

to Persepolis, Ari Folman’s

Waltz With Bashir (2008)

is also an interestingexample to consider.

10 James Mottram, ‘Persepolis

– An Interview With Marjane

Satrapi’, The List, no. 601,

24 April 2008, <http://www.

list.co.uk/article/7947

-persepolis-an-interview

-with-marjane-satrapi>,

accessed 25 November

2009.11 Marian Quigley, ‘Drawing

on Experience: Animation

as History in Persepolis’,

Screen Education, no. 51,

Spring 2008, p.66.12 Peter Chelkowski, ‘Islam

in Modern Drama and

Theatre’, Die Welt des

Islams, Leiden, 1984.13 Likewise, the flm’s title is

not specifcally reerenced

in the narrative, but it links

the story o these contem-

porary characters to the

history o Iran and Persia

stretching back thousands

o years.14 For a detailed and enlight-

ening discussion on theroles o news media images

in the creation o cultural

memory surrounding

contemporary historical

events, see Sturken,

op. cit., pp.19–43. For

a relevant discussion

on the role that journalists

and the media play in the

construction o history, see

Barbie Zelizer, Covering

the Body: The Kennedy

Assassination, the Media

and the Shaping o Collec-

tive Memory , University

o Chicago Press, Chicago,

1992.15 Marjane’s conscience,

in the orm o her grand-

mother’s voice and

silhouette, immediately

appears to chastise her

or her cultural denial.

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Animation, Rep and Power of Personal Story