Over the past twenty four hours Iran is at the epicenter of social unrest following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in Tehran. A little earlier, a woman was arrested by Eton police because she disobeyed an order to hide her hair well under a headscarf (hijab).

The event sparked waves of protests in Iranian cities that resulted in violent incidents and deaths. Most of the protesters are women who, oppressed by the theocratic regime, demand more rights to freedom and equality.

The difficult life of women in Iran has been portrayed several times in pop culture. One of the most popular stories is her book Marzan SatrapI “Persepolis(Persepolis), which was released in 2000 and was transferred to the big screen seven years later.

The famous César Award-winning animated film (directed by Vincent Parono, Marjane Satrapi) made Satrapi’s work widely known. This is a mostly black and white film with strong political and historical overtones that has made the news again. It doesn’t happen very often.

“Persepolis” is based on the life of a French writer of Iranian origin and, in addition to historical and political drama, includes elements of black comedy. In essence, this is a story set against the background of the Iranian revolution that took place in 1979. The multi-layered story is based on themes such as the oppression of women, the contrast between private and public life, but above all, a strong desire for freedom, democracy and peace.

Satrapi represents her childhood, the everyday life of her family and at the same time a turbulent period in the modern history of her country.

Nine-year-old Marji grows up in Tehran under a strictly orthodox government. However, her parents regularly participate in rallies and protests against the authorities, which will further shape the heroine’s worldview. Later, while listening to her grandmother, she continues to defy Iran’s strict regime and often gets into trouble. Until, finally, her parents send her to school in Vienna. But even there, Margie does not want to be oppressed by the authorities and continues to rebel. He wears jeans, listens to heavy metal and has a lot of romantic frustrations amidst all this political turmoil. The film draws beautiful parallels to the main character’s stages of growing up as her country, Iran, struggles to find its identity after so much fighting and bloodshed.

Margie considers taking her own life after struggling and failing against all odds. At this point, the film becomes more personal and therefore more interactive.

In a unique sequence depicting Margie suffering from depression, the directors lend a sense of optimism to the next scene as we see the heroine rise up and battle her mental breakdown while dancing to Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger”. The use of this song by a band with such a revealing name at this point in the film did not go unnoticed.

The film features famous cinematographers such as Catherine Deneuve, Chiara Mastroianni and Sean Penn.

The film adaptation was not only a box office success, but also received international acclaim, including a Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature, and a Golden Globe nomination.

But despite its acclaim, the film sparked controversy in Iran. The government condemned the film as an irreverent depiction of the Islamic revolution. According to France24, Persepolis was also banned in Lebanon, but the ban was later lifted due to complaints from political parties.