FILMS WORHT WATCHING by Robert Alstead

At first glance, Persepolis, an animated feature based on the autobiographical works of Iranian born graphic novelist Marjane Satrapi, seems a difficult sell. You can imagine how the elevator pitch might have gone – “Well, it’s mostly black and white, 2D animation, set in Iran, in French, with subtitles, er...”
But these same qualities – its bold, monochromatic style and foreign, unfamiliar setting – have worked largely in its favour. Persepolis, out January 11, is proving to be a big hit with critics and festival audiences alike.
The story is of a feisty young Iranian girl’s coming of age during the overthrow of the Shah and her personal rebellion against the fundamentalist regime that followed. When pressured to conform to the veil-wearing norm of womanhood under Ayatollah Khomeini, Marjane finds her freedom in Bruce Lee films and trading pirate music by the likes of Iron Maiden.
The exuberance of adolescent rebellion, however, gives way to new emotions after her uncle dies senselessly in the Iran-Iraq war and Marjane is sent into exile at a Viennese school for her own safety. There she discovers boys and the alienation and homesickness that come from being trapped in an unfriendly and foreign milieu far away from home.
The stark black and white imagery of the drawings offers atmospheric drama and an uncomplicated intimacy with our flawed and sometimes comical heroine that has struck a chord everywhere. At this year’s Vancouver International Film Festival, it picked up the audience award for most popular international film, the New York Film Critics circle recently voted it top animation over Disney/Pixar’s mega-budget Ratatouille and France entered it as its Best Foreign Language Film at this year’s Oscars. (The ceremony takes place February 24.) There was a rumour that an English-dubbed version was in the works, although the animation coming out on the 11th remains in French with English subtitles.
Moving from Iran to Afghanistan, The Kite Runner (out now), adapted from Khaled Hosseini’s bestseller, is a redemption tale about an émigré’s return to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan to aright a terrible betrayal of a friend as a boy 20 years earlier. The emotionally taut film, directed by Marc Forster (Monster’s Ball), has been noted for top notch performances by an unknown cast and memorable visuals, in particular evocative computer generated images of kites flying.
The latest film by Czech director Jan Hrebejk (Up and Down, Divided We Fall) is another strong domestic drama, with fine performances, also about redemption. In Beauty in Trouble, Marcela, the beauty of the title is a young mother who finds herself torn between two men as she tries to look after her asthmatic boy and find some semblance of personal happiness. On the one side, her moody husband chops stolen cars to make ends meet after the family’s livelihood was destroyed by the 2002 floods in Prague and on the other is a suave, older, wealthy man, who glides into her life at her time of need like a guardian angel.
Added to the mix, Marcela and her children must deal with an overbearing mother and her creepy boyfriend when they move out of their mold-ridden digs into grandmum’s cramped flat. In spite of the odd convenient twist of fate, Beauty in Trouble remains very much a character-driven film – and enjoyable for that very reason – where unexpected turns in the plot occur as you become more deeply involved with the characters and their inter-relations. See it at the Vancity theatre from January 14 to 17.
A quick mention of the third Gabriola Film Festival which runs from January 25 to 27 at the Gabriola Community Hall. Among the films is Chinese-Canadian filmmaker Yung Chang’s Up the Yangtze, which using the Three Gorges Dam project as a backdrop, captures the human face of China on the cusp of radical change from rural economy to Western-style superpower. The film won Best Canadian Documentary award at VIFF. Also showing are Autism: the Musical; Meditate and Destroy; The 8th Fire; Faro, Goddess of the Waters; The Castells; Faith Without Fear; Enemies of Happiness; Madame Tutli-Putli and shorts. More information at www.filmgabriola.com
Cineworks, the Vancouver film and video access centre, recently announced that it is starting a free monthly public discussion and reading group to grapple with cinema’s deeper philosophical considerations. Thought on Film aims “… to promote critical thought around film product and practice through community-based discussion.” The first reading will focus on the first chapter of Gilles Deleuze’s Cinema 1 (January 31, Cineworks Screening Room, 6pm). Visit www.cineworks.ca.

A Sembène Retrospective
January 4-13
Vancity Theatre
1181 Seymour St.

In honour of the passing of one of the world’s great filmmakers, Ousmane Sembène, Vancity Theatre presents A Sembène Retrospective. Considered to be the seminal force behind sub-Saharan African cinema, Sembène wasn’t only a sharp critic of the internal problems of modern Africa, but also a passionate advocate of African pride and autonomy. Sembène died in Dakar in June 2007. He was 84.
This series collects Sembène’s seminal works not yet available on DVD. See full lineup at www.vifc.org/sembeneprint.html
Tickets and info: Call the Starbucks Hotline at 604-683-FILM (3456) for the latest info and listings. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at www.vifc.org or in person 30 minutes before showtime. The Vancity Theatre is offering double bills at $12 for two films, ($10/students and seniors and Bronze and above members). Double Bill pricing is not available for online sales. Tickets: adults, $9.50 (double bill $12), student/seniors, $7.50 (double bill $10), matinees $7.50.

Robert Alstead made the Vancouver-set bicycle documentary You Never Bike Alone, available on DVD at www.youneverbikealone.com