The past few weeks, I have viewed the films: Persepolis and Sugar Cane Alley. Persepolis was set in the mid to
late-1900s in Iran. The Iranian revolution, fall of the Shaw, and Iran-Iraq war
all took place during the main character’s lifetime. Marjie, the main character
and narrator, explains the trivial times of her childhood and teenage years.
The film, in my opinion, earns much of its credibility from the reality of the
storyline. Although, the film is allowed some leeway from the animated style,
much like Family Guy or South Park. The film ends with Marjie in
an airport, not allowed to return to Iran.
The next film, Sugar
Cane Alley (a.k.a. Black Shack Alley),
is set on the Caribbean isle of Martinique, where in the early 1900s, slavery
was bigger than the United States in the 1800s. A young boy, Jose, has lost his
parents and is being raised by his grandmother. Ma ’Tine, as she is called,
does not want him to share the same fate as her and the small village by
beginning to work in the sugar cane fields. Instead, she sends him off to
school. Throughout his journey, he is gifted with many different teachers, and
then they were all take from him. His old friend and grandmother died, he moved
schools, and one of his friends, who was quite keen on the topic of women, was
avoided due to his poor tendencies. The movie ends with Jose going back to
school, leaving the sugar cane fields in the past.
Personally, I like Persepolis
much more. The fact the voice of the person who lived the experience is
narrating the story adds an entirely different slant to the situation. Because Marjie
lived through all of this, we can see how true citizens actually acted during
those times, and see her humor. Sugar Cane Alley was a recreation with
some actors and some random people (the random people acted very well). In the
end, Persepolis holds the advantage
in my book.
