The movie ”Persepolis” shows in a very unusual way how rapidly the things get changed in Iran at the end of 70s. The movie represents social conditions in Iran, when Shah was overthrown and the Islamic Revolution took its place in 1979. Little girl, Marjane Satrapi, had very interesting and unpredictable life. Her parents, like the majority in Iran, supported the Shah. But, in the late 70’s regime became unstable. People start protesting at the streets all day long. They wanted to overthrow the Shah. Many were confused, but in the same time they started to follow Khomeini’s ideology. He convinced the people all over Iran that Shah was not sent by their God. He believed that Shah was doing everything to uproot Islam. Khomeini was a very charismatic leader who enforced the idea that Shah needs to be overthrown, if Iranians care enough to save Islamic ulama. Everyone followed Khomeini’s idea. The Islamic Revolution occurred and Shah was overthrown.
People wanted to save their religion and community, but post-revolution regime went in the way people did not expect. Everything was forbidden. All females had to have their bodies covered. They were supposed to wear Hijab all the time. Young people could not make parties, and if they broke the law, they would usually be caught and punished very strictly. Once when Satrapi was late for school, she started running, and regime police stopped her. They told she cannot run, because her body looks to provocative. People were oppressed all the time. Even the war between Iran and Iraq took a place between 1980 and 1988. It made things worse and people’s life more difficult.
People wanted to save their religion and community, but post-revolution regime went in the way people did not expect. Everything was forbidden. All females had to have their bodies covered. They were supposed to wear Hijab all the time. Young people could not make parties, and if they broke the law, they would usually be caught and punished very strictly. Once when Satrapi was late for school, she started running, and regime police stopped her. They told she cannot run, because her body looks to provocative. People were oppressed all the time. Even the war between Iran and Iraq took a place between 1980 and 1988. It made things worse and people’s life more difficult.
Satrapi’s parents sent her to Europe to make her life easier, more safe and free. It was fascinating how different she was from her friends from school. She tried to be the same, or at least similar enough with them, but after a few years she just desperately wanted to come back to her home country. Life in Iran was still very hard and there was not much hope that things will change.
I was wandering, why Iranians did not impose a new revolution to change a repressive post-revolution regime? Iranians were so enthusiastic during the Revolution in 1979. They were sure that they are doing the right thing. Later, they saw that things were not in the way they would like to be. After the Revolution and the war people looked tired, and it seems to me that they felt trapped in the system. Regime was so strict, and no one believed it can be changed.