ABSTRACT

This article discusses the animated film Persepolis (Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi, 2007), and analyzes the ways in which not only it compliments but also complicates historical representation. In particular, we focus on the formal animated choices and elements that influence historical representation. We analyze this film in terms of the cultural memory discourse, and we argue that the film’s overall sadness and its allegorical register communicate a quest for identity in contemporary societies.

Keywords: Animation, cultural memory, history, nostalgia, Persepolis