Persepolis (2007): A-

Director(s): Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud. Screenplay: Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud. Cast: Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Danielle Darrieux and Simon Abkarian. Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics. Runtime: 95 min. Rating: Pg-13.

Based on Marjane Satrapi's own animated series—and brought to life by herself with the help of Vincent Paronnaud—Persepolis is a technical triumph as much as it is a striking evocation of growing up, a testament to what the cinema can transcend through artistry coupled with humanism. As brazenly honest as films about their own creators go, Persepolis recounts Satrapi's (Voiced by Lopes as a young girl) coming of age from 1979's Iranian revolution to her move to Vienna in the 80's during her adolescence (she is voiced by Mastroianni an adolescent and an adult). It is, indeed, a time of political crisis in Iran, as in each frame their is an echo of threats and distrusts, from her father's (voiced by Abkarian) hope to her mother's (voiced by Deneuve) rightful unwillingness to comply with the government. Each chapter—the film is framed by time segments—contains its own joys and laughs; but as a whole, through the austerity of the animated images comes a poignantly simple, unpretentious and utterly sincere tale of what it means to grow up through a time of war and suffering. That it does this through its masterful aesthetic design—from the beautiful eyes of little Marjane to each unique frame—only helps to create a marvel of animation. But none of this is fake. No, Persepolis, as truthful as stories come, is a work of true expression. Unlike so many of today's superficial films, you can feel the director spilling her emotions in every frame.