Persepolis

The version screened was the English-dubbed one, which brought a number of distractions with it. The rather jarring mix of American and French accents wasn't helped by the Marjane character morphing from an American tot to a very European-sounding teenager. Still I suppose not having to read subtitles meant that it was much easier to concentrate on the gorgeous animation which is about as far away from Pixar as you can get. No hyper-realism here, just stark black and white in the manner of the graphic novels. It makes the flashbacks within the main flashback particularly effective and beautiful, with their nods to what we think of as traditional Islamic design. However, for a relatively short film, it felt long so there is something wrong with the pacing. The second half, with the grown up Marjane, is far less interesting than the early scenes set during the Revolution. Teenage angst falls a long way behind political mayhem in the interest stakes.