Persepolis: A View into the Iranian Revolution

"War. Revolution. Family. Punk Rock. All part of growing up."

For this week's blog (the final one!), I watched "Persepolis", a autobiographical film about a young woman's upbringing in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Marjane Satrapi originally wrote a graphic novel that turned into the poignant, honest, and endearing film that is "Persepolis."

Marjane's story starts just before the Islamic Revolution overthrows the Shah's regime, and the country is thrown into turmoil. Although her family is initially in favor of the regime change, they quickly realize its repressive nature, particularly because of the imprisonment and assassination of Marjane's beloved uncle. But spunky Marjane fights back in her own way, nursing a love for forbidden punk rock. Her nature is so worrisome to her parents that they send her to Austria to complete her schooling. Marjane's story may be her own, but it represents the struggle of so many Iranians dealing with the revolution, the Iran-Iraq war, and the tearing apart of a society they once knew.

While Marjane's parents adore her rebellious nature (although they are also extremely worried about her safety,) the religious teachers are not as keen on her renegade behavior.

In an article complimentary to "Persepolis" is by Homa Hoodfar and Fatemeh Sadeghi-Givi. They write on the post-1979 women's movement in Iran. After the Islamic Revolution, they claim, women lost the minimal rights they had won under the shah, and many more. Some of the first laws passed by the new regime devalued women's life to only half of men's, made two female witnesses equal to one male, and instated a Muslim orthodox version of family law. Hoodfar and Sadeghi-Givi look at the challenges the women's rights movement faces in contemporary Iran. Most importantly, the "efforts to build solidarity across classes were spearheaded by feminist leaders" (Hoodfar, Sadgehi-Givi 5). In spite of the obstacles, this movement has shown its capacity to reach across class and ethnic divisions, over generations and even bridge ideological gaps.

Marjane Satrapi's story is a poignant example of the struggles people, and women in particular, face in Iran. Her coming of age story is reflective of the larger struggle of the Iranian people, and on a personal note, was my favorite of the semester.

Rana's Wedding; Jerusalem, Another Day

"When the abnormality of barriers and occupation becomes an everyday reality, love and marriage turn into fiction."

The tagline of Rana's Wedding, by Palestinian filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad, is an eerie window into the story of Rana, a young Arab woman living in occupied Jerusalem, who has ten hours to find her lover and marry him. Without success, she faces her father's demands: marry a chosen suitor from a list, or move with him to Egypt.

There were a number of elements in this film that I found particularly intriguing, first and foremost, the use of space. The day in Jerusalem and occupied Ramallah finds Rana in a panic, firstly she cannot find her lover, Khalil, and then when they face difficulties overcoming the physical obstacles in order to perform their wedding ceremony. In the first part of the film, Rana wanders aimlessly through the old city of Jerusalem. The walls of the old city act as a maze, confusing her both physically and emotionally.

Ever-present in the film are Israeli soldiers, always armed and often pointing their guns at Rana. In one scene toward the end of the film, Rana confesses to her friend how afraid she is, repeating it over and over again. Upon rising from the couch, she looks out the window to see a front of armed soldiers, blocking the demolition of a home. This lack of control that Rana holds over her surroundings speaks volumes about the message Abu-Assad is trying to convey.

Rana's Wedding is a beautiful and troubling film because it views very much like real life. The commentary on the helplessness that many Arab Palestinians, living both in and outside of Jerusalem, face, it stark and honest. A day in Rana's life, a day in her Jerusalem, may be just "another day", but for the viewers it is a window into a different and very difficult world.