The Enduring Beauty of “Persepolis”
This powerful story shines with poetic animation, an exploration of deeper truths, and the protagonist's complex search for identity.

In a Jewish Orthodox village in Israel, Tamar, a twelve-year-old girl, prepares for her Bat-Mitzvah (confirmation), which will take place on Passover. Becoming convinced that she is impure, and growing increasingly scared and depressed, she forces herself into an endless ritual of cleaning, while attempting to silence the whispering inner obsessional thoughts that are detailing every inch of her relentless guilt, over and over again. To make matters worse, Tamar's only friend, Rachel, lures her into sinful mischief: peeping into the Mikveh (bath house), turning a light on during the Sabbath. The girls even dare to secretly bathe at the Mikveh when Tamar gets her first period. Will Tamar succumb to her fears? A dark and unflinching portrayal of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and the inner turmoil of an adolescent girl.
This powerful story shines with poetic animation, an exploration of deeper truths, and the protagonist's complex search for identity.
The film, which focuses on an Argentinian family during an intimate birthday dinner, efficiently captures the eccentricities of each character as well as the nuances of their interpersonal dynamics.
This young adult movie focuses on relationships in this high school reunion.
"A Drowning Man" (2017) explores the unseen aspects of the Refugee Crisis. In, 15 far-too-short minutes, viewers are given a detailed snapshot of what it's like for a refugee to drown in the waters of poverty and otherness while trying to navigate a land whose promise has worn off, and only 'strange' remains.
It’s the most loving tribute to cinema and to Ingmar Bergman, set in world that feels so habitable that I felt like only re-watching this for eternity, because of how inviting it looks and feels.