Despite the fact that reading subtitles can be a drag (as Jeffrey mentions below), Persepolis is without question one of the most awesome movies I’ve seen in the past year. Few movies capture the confusion of adolescence with such a subtle mixture of humor and anxiety. If you haven’t seen it, I’d highly recommend renting it.

The English version also includes the voice talent of Sean Penn, Iggy Pop (!), and Gena Rowlands.

Now, a little free association here… Gena Rowlands is the widow of 1970s auteur filmmaker John Cassavetes (she also starred in several of his best movies). John Cassavetes was a total badass before dying of cirrhosis of the liver in ’89.

John and Gena’s son, Nick Cassavetes, is also a film director. His films include
The Notebook, and the recent My Sister’s Keeper.

Whether or not you like these movies, it’s pretty indisputable that they’re mainstream Hollywood puff. It’s fascinating to me that the son of one of the guiding lights of the 1970s movement against this kind of puff is now creating it himself. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that, really… but it’s pretty ironic. Some film student should definitely write a PhD thesis about it, if you ask me.