Persepolis gets my vote!

Seems to me that the foreign films that have gotten the most buzz / traction this past year (Golden Door, 4 Months..., Persepolis) have unsurprisingly all gotten passed over for the foreign language Oscar. Maybe that's how it should be, as often films get catapulted into our consciousness as "Oscar-nominated" or even "Oscar-winning," and we've already sorted these out. And Persepolis is nominated for best animated feature (what are the odds?!?). So.

My COMM 371 (Global Cinema) students are weighing in on who they think will (or should) get the Oscar on Sunday--I have committed to sorting out my guess / vote by then, too, so look for that later in the week. In the meantime, though....three cheers for Persepolis, which Lorka & I got to see this afternoon. The film is adapted from a graphic novel via animation--I'm embedding a teaser here:



Don't worry--the film has subtitles in US theaters. But what I love about this clip is how American popular culture circulating globally becomes fodder for youthful rebellion....although to placate the Old Lady Morality Police (circa early 80's Iran), the young girl tries to pass Michael Jackson off as Malcolm X. Priceless!