Movies often serve as an alternative means of entertainment when people want to escape boredom or weariness with the world. Movies are also a common form of entertainment for most people, as they possess a powerful mass communication capability that has the potential to reach millions of people around the world (Huda et al., 2023). However, upon closer examination, it becomes clear that film is not merely a medium of entertainment; rather, it can also represent the social, political, and cultural realities of a society. Through visual storytelling, film can depict the dynamics of power, social conflicts, and individual experiences in the face of historical change. It serve as a mirror of human social life. Their stories, critiques, and visuals can become instruments of reflections toward a greater issue.
One film that successfully captures how reality is reflected in cinema is Persepolis (2007), an autobiographical animated film directed by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud. The film is an adaptation of Satrapi’s graphic novel, which recounts her life experiences as an Iranian woman growing up during a period of major political upheaval in her country. Persepolis features a narrative backdrop that incorporates historical elements and a storyline centered on issues of power shifts and gender dynamics. The film is worth discussing because it illustrates how shifting geopolitical conditions can impact people’s lives, particularly regarding individual freedoms and the nature of state power.
To understand the events depicted in the film, it is necessary to examine the historical roots of Iran. Iran has indeed long been a nation with a rich history marked by power struggles and conflicts involving the international community from changes in monarchical regimes, such as the Safavid dynasty (1501–1736 CE), to the transition to its current form as an Islamic Republic. From ancient times until the establishment of the Safavid dynasty, Iran was known as Persia, and in 1935, it was renamed Iran (Rahman, 2018). The establishment of Iran as an Islamic republic cannot be separated from the conflict between nationalists and clerics. This was because the political policies advocated by secularists were at odds with the views of most of the Iran’s population, which is predominantly Shia Muslim. Iran is home to the world’s largest Shia Muslim population, with the majority of its people adhering to the Twelver Shia school of thought (Immenkamp, 2016), As a result, conflict between the two groups the secular and the conservative is inevitable.
The conflict between these two groups has existed since the transfer of power in the Iranian government from the Qajar dynasty (1789–1925) to a more liberal administration. In 1905, a coalition of clerics, merchants, and liberal groups was formed to draft a constitution that would later be adopted following the 1979 revolution. The new constitution placed the Shah under a parliamentary system and explicitly declared Islam as the official religion of Iran. However, in 1907–1908, a military officer named Reza Shah Pahlavi used a Cossack brigade (military unit) to stage a coup and seize control of the parliament in Tehran; ultimately, the constitution drafted in 1905 was never fully implemented (Rahman, 2018). The coup initiated by Reza Shah Pahlavi, which automatically made him the ruler of Iran, gave rise to a new conflict between the government and conservative factions dominated by Shia clerics, as it transformed the country’s political system into a secular one. The concept of secularism was historically first introduced by George Jacob Holyoale in 1841. Initially, secularism was an extension of freedom of thought regarding ethics, but it was later expanded into the study of political philosophy. Secularism teaches people to continuously improve their standard of living in a meaningful way by seeking goodness in the world through human capabilities, without being bound by or referring to religion or religious teachings of a supernatural nature (Rd. Datoek A. Pachoer, 2016).
Reza Shah Pahlavi in uniform.
The Shah Pahlavi regime cannot be described as stable in its governance, although it succeeded in modernizing the country’s governmental and social systems Shah Reza established a secular government, schools became secular, government oversight of religious schools was strict, and subsidies for religious education were reduced. As a result, his government was highly vulnerable to resistance from religious conservatives (Rahman, 2018). Reza Shah Pahlavi’s reign finally came to an end in 1941 following Soviet intervention and British imperialism during World War II. Reza Shah Pahlavi was then succeeded by his son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who ruled from 1941 until the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
After examining the historical dynamics of power in Iran, to understand the geopolitical context of the film Persepolis, it is important to consider the evolving sociopolitical conditions of Iran as depicted in the film’s narrative, particularly during the reign of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi and the period following the 1979 revolution. Just as his father had emphasized secular policies in his rule, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi implemented the same approach but went further in intervening in the interests of the clergy through policies and regulations; this further expanded state control over many areas that had previously been under the authority of the clergy (Mundzir, 2020). Iran, under the rule of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, also operated a monarchy focused on modernization and maintained strong ties with Western nations, particularly the United States.
The modernization efforts undertaken by the Shah’s government ended up sparking new unrest within his administration. The Iranian people’s dissatisfaction with the Pahlavi regime was fueled by various structural factors, including increasingly acute economic inequality, political repression through security agencies such as SAVAK (the Organization of Intelligence and National Security), and the state’s dependence on Western support, particularly from the United States. Economic policies oriented toward the elite and uneven urbanization created a social divide between the ruling class and the common people (Fauziah, 2026). The fall of the regime of Mohammed Shah Reza Pahlavi was the result of widespread dissatisfaction among the Shia Muslim majority, who felt marginalized; the wave of anger against the Shah’s regime subsequently culminated in a revolution led by the charismatic cleric Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979, mobilizing large crowds from various segments of society
Crowd holding up a picture of Ayatollah Khomenei during the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which overthrew the Pahlavi monarchy.
In the film Persepolis, the narrative focuses on the life journey of the main character, Marjane, who grew up during the Iranian Revolution and the period that followed. Through this personal perspective, Persepolis offers a glimpse into Iran’s political transformation and its impact on the social life of its people. The film depicts radical changes in dress codes, social transformation, the legal system, and increased state control. This is evident in how Marjane faces discrimination and repressive treatment due to shifts in governance, which are followed by shifts in social norms and institutions within society. The shift in power, accompanied by changes in norms, policies, culture, and social behaviour, is a central theme in this film. A series of state policies and regulations ultimately gives rise to a new form of power, within the context of the film, this power emerges from shifts in the political structure of government, extends to regulations, and ultimately intervenes in the social lives of the people.
The transformation that took place transformed the government system from a secular monarchy into a theocratic republic. This new system established religion as the basis for the state’s political and legal legitimacy. In the film Persepolis, this change is depicted through various social changes such as the obligation for women to wear the hijab, restrictions on Western culture, and state control over public life including dress codes, behavior, punishments, and restrictions on foreign culture (music, film, literature, etc.). This occurred partly because religious legitimacy became the basis of the Iranian government following the revolution, under the leadership of a faqih cleric who fully understood both worldly and otherworldly affairs (Mikail et al., 2019). Absolute leadership exercised by religious leaders causes government policy to be skewed toward one side, turning it into a mechanism for perpetuating power imbalances.
When examining the socio-political conditions of post-revolutionary Iran through the lens of the film Persepolis, it is important to emphasize that the shift in power not only highlights socio-political aspects but also reveals how state power operates in regulating people’s lives down to the most private spheres. The theoretical approach of Michel Foucault (1926–1984) is relevant for analysing how the film’s narrative represents power and social inequalities, particularly through the concepts of governmentality. According to Foucault, power is not viewed as external domination over individuals or groups rather, power must be understood as a form of immanent power relations within the spaces where it operates (Mudhoffir, 2013). In Foucault’s view, modern power is not only repressive but also productive, in that it shapes obedient subjects through the internalization of norms and rules.
“... power must be understood in the first instance as the multiplicity of force relations immanent in the sphere in which they operate and which constitute their own organization; as the process which, through ceaseless struggles and confrontations, transforms, strengthens, or reserves them; as the support which these force relations find in one another, thus forming a chain or a system, or on the contrary, the disjunctions and contradictions which isolate them from one another; and lastly, as the strategy in which they take effect, whose general design or institutional crystallization is embodied in the state apparatus, in the formulation of the law, in the various social hegemony." (Foucault, 1990)
Governmentality can be understood as a broader concept than disciplinary power that is, the technologies of power employed to discipline the subject’s body and transform it into an obedient and useful body whereas disciplinary power creates a situation in which the individual’s body is able to internalize submission and treat it as a normal state without realizing it, governmentality is its extension, in which it is not the subject who becomes an instrument of power through the regime of truth’s discourse, but the state/government through state policy (Mudhoffir, 2013).
In the film Persepolis, the concept of governmentality can be seen in how the state regulates people’s lives through social and cultural control. A clear example of this is found in the education system; in the film, school is not merely a place for learning and acquiring knowledge but also serves as a tool for the state to instil revolutionary ideology and religious values. The children in the film, and the main character Marjane, are taught to glorify death as a noble sacrifice for the state, particularly in the context of the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988). This demonstrates that the state not only controls individual actions but also shapes the way of thinking and the values embraced by society from an early age. Practices of governmentality are also evident in the regulations and norms of daily life Western-influenced culture or ideas are suppressed by both state apparatus and ordinary citizens. For example, when Marjane attempts to buy a Western music cassette and is caught red-handed by a group of conservatives, she faces social pressure and sanctions because of her actions. The state is present not only through formal institutions but also through social norms internalized by society.
The film also shows the transition of women's lifestyles from a secular government to an Islamic government in Iran, We see how the new government practices biopolitics that regulate women's rights over their bodies and how they dress, but we are also shown the influence of women in the revolutionary movement and also their right to education, This can be seen clearly according to Middle East Institute (n.d.), in 1966 The female literacy rate is at number 17,42%. By the end of the Pahlavi reign, about 60% of women in Iran were illiterate After the Iranian revolution, the Islamic government of Iran expanded their focus to education especially for women and managed to raise the statistics from 37% in 1979 to 87% in 2015. However, the role of women is still very limited due to cultural influences and so on, this can be seen according to data on the female labor force participation.
The film illustrates how the Islamic Republic institutionalized gender norms as part of its broader ideological project. Women’s roles were rearticulated within a framework that emphasized morality, modesty, and obedience, positioning them as symbolic bearers of national and religious identity. This aligns with broader analyses of post-revolutionary Iran, where gender became central to the state's effort to construct a moral order (Afary et al., 2005). Government regulations, when enforced, indirectly marginalize one gender, consequently, dominant religious beliefs and moral norms position women as subjects of power within the evolving ideological framework. In the film, this is evident in the restrictions on Marjene’s freedoms from her clothing and personal preferences to her freedom of expression and the freedom to voice her opinions. Such control effectively serves as the government’s means of exercising its authority, even extending into the private sphere, such as control over the body and thought.
In the end, Persepolis serves not only as a cinematic narrative of personal memory but also as a critical representation of the complex interplay between history, power, and state control in Iran. Through its depiction of the Iranian Revolution and its aftermath, the film illustrates how shifts in political authority fundamentally reshape social structures, cultural norms, and individual freedoms. The transition from a secular monarchy to an Islamic theocracy did not merely alter the formal political system but also reconfigured the everyday lives of citizens through the imposition of new moral, legal, and cultural regulations. Ultimately, Persepolis exposes the paradox of revolution, while it seeks to liberate society from oppression, it may simultaneously generate new systems of control. The film invites critical reflection on how power is exercised, maintained, and resisted within society. In this sense, Persepolis is not only a story about Iran history nor struggle after the revolution engaged in 1979, but also a broader commentary on the nature of modern governance and the enduring struggle between authority and individual autonomy.
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