Most films about faith are rooted in at least one book. While Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis, a graphic memoir published in several volumes throughout the early 2000s, is not a holy text itself, it does contain lessons, stories, and cautionary tales about faith. In its examination of the Iranian Revolution, as seen through Satrapi’s eyes, Persepolis illuminates the warring forces of rebellion and repression through the prism of religion.
In 2007, Persepolis was transformed into an animated film, co-written and co-directed by Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, a French comics artist and filmmaker. The film is the comic come to life, rendering Satrapi’s signature style in gorgeous, hand-drawn, black-and-white animation. It looked great in 2007 and it looks great now.
Persepolis can be a tough watch. Though bubbling over with charm and wit, the film catalogues a tumultuous period of time, historically for Iran and personally for Satrapi. The story covers murder, betrayal, poverty and misogyny right alongside puberty, first love, family and the immigrant experience. Though its animation and voice acting is as polished as can be, the story Persepolis tells is a bumpy, thorny ride. I find these convergences incredibly evocative of a faith journey.
Persepolis is a coming-of-age story about a young woman wrestling with her identity. With Islamic history as a backdrop, Satrapi’s memoir is a perfect example of what it means to discover and stand up for what you believe in. Sometimes our faith journey takes us far away, as Satrapi experiences in Austria. Other times, our faith changes and mutates through hardship, as when Satrapi’s convictions are tested by government turmoil. The faith journey of Persepolis ultimately leads Satrapi – and her audience – to a very simple idea: what we should keep faith in are the places we feel most loved. That’s a central part of Persepolis as a film and a novel, and a cornerstone of those holy books, too. — Pruett Norris (2026)
Arts & Faith Lists: