The Band’s Visit

I’m eager to see this Eran Kolirin debut which premiered at Cannes last year. My other greatly anticipated viewing of the term, Fellini’s 8 1/2, was a bit of a letdown, probably because my expectations were set unreasonably high (as usual). On the other hand, I loved the surrealistic and eloquently mangled El Topo. Anyway, as of now, I just wish I had more time to spare.

Persepolis

On a beautiful night, with clear skies, mild winds and an almost full moon, I watched Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis, a deeply sensuous work, painfully autobiographical and frighteningly real. Persepolis’ visual style mimics Satrapi’s famous “graphic novel” of the same name. Viscerally disturbing at times, it combines the cruel depiction of an oppressive Iranian regiment with a mildly upbeat and catalyzing humor that is deliriously addictive, yet quite subjective and idiosyncratic.

There’s an interview of Marjane with the NYT here. She sounds very blunt and seems to possess a naturally polarizing character.