French-Iranian author Marjane Satrapi has died at the age of 56. The Élysée Palace confirmed the news in a press release, honoring the Oscar-nominated filmmaker. She is best known for her graphic novel series, Persepolis, which was later made into an adult animated movie.
According to the BBC, the press release called her “a leading figure in French culture and an artist devoted to freedom.” She passed away a year after the death of her husband, Mattias Ripa. French President Emmanuel Macron called her “a great artist who transformed an Iranian childhood into a universal fable.”
Persepolis was a biographical depiction of her own life as a young woman living in Iran during the Iranian Revolution. Besides the animated movie adaptation, she helmed a few other movies, including a Ryan Reynolds movie. Here are all her directorial ventures.
6. The Gang of the Jotas (2012)
Marjane Satrapi in The Gang of the Jotas | Credits: TAJ Productions/Atelier VFX
Marjane Satrapi wrote, directed, and starred in this wacky crime comedy, which also starred her husband Mattias Ripa. In the movie, Ripa and Stéphane Roché play a gay couple who get entangled with a manipulative woman, played by Satrapi, who pulls them into her crime. As an actress, Satrapi had some fun in this role.
The movie is fast-paced, giving you little time to stop and think about the silly acts of the three protagonists. Satrapi’s character drops several references to her real-life identity as an exiled Iranian living in Paris. However, there is no explicit political messaging in this movie, like in her other movies. This one is just a bright movie set in Spain, with a great soundtrack.
5. Dear Paris (Paris Paradis) (2024)
Monica Bellucci in a still from Dear Paris | Credits: StudioCanal
Dear Paris (or Paradis Paris in French) was Satrapi’s final movie before her death. It is a black comedy movie with several parallel stories that are held together by the common theme of death. It had a star-studded cast, led by Monica Bellucci, Ben Aldridge, André Dussollier, and Eduardo Noriega.
The charming characters of the story confront death only to embrace life in a new light. Bellucci plays a narcissistic opera singer who wakes up in a morgue and realizes that very few people turned up to pay her respects. Mike, a stuntman, rethinks his job after an accident, while an elderly lady named Dolores makes a pact with Death to live longer. There are many such interesting characters in this story to watch out for.
4. Chicken with Plums (2011)
Marjane Satrapi’s second directorial venture was based on her graphic novel, Chicken with Plums, released in 2004. She collaborated once again with her Persepolis co-director, Vincent Paronnaud, in this movie. After his wife destroys his favorite violin, Nasser Ali, a renowned musician in 1950s Tehran, loses the will to live and goes to bed to die. While he awaits death, he plunges into dreams that take him to the past and the future.
The movie was praised for its visuals and the melancholic storytelling. Just like her previous movie, Satrapi balanced a serious theme with humor to get across her message. However, some viewers found this shifting tone distracting.
3. Radioactive (2019)
Rosamund Pike in a still from Radioactive | Credits: StudioCanal
Marjane Satrapi adapted another artist’s work for her 2019 movie, Radioactive. The movie tells the story of Marie Curie and was based on Lauren Redniss’s 2010 graphic novel, Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout.
Rosamund Pike starred as Curie in this movie, which never got the chance to be released in U.S. theaters due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the script was flawed in places, Pike’s performance served as a saving grace. Several events in Marie Curie’s life were altered for this movie, which caused a major controversy around this movie.
2. The Voices (2014)
Ryan Reynolds proved to be an exceptional performer in The Voices, where he starred as a schizophrenic killer, Jerry Hickfang. The comedy horror movie also starred Gemma Arterton, Jacki Weaver, and Anna Kendrick. Jerry’s hallucinations lead him to commit murder and have conversations with his pets and the severed head of his victims.
Satrapi received praise for the stylish and quirky black comedy. The movie looks bright and candy-colored. Reynolds plays the vulnerability of his character with real tenderness, earning him critical praise. If you are looking for something uncomfortably funny, The Voices could be your weekend binge.
1. Persepolis (2007)
Persepolis carried the same intensity and brilliance as the graphic novel of the same name. Marjane Satrapi helmed this adult animated movie with Vincent Paronnaud. The movie was nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. It also received Golden Globes and BAFTA nods. Both the novel and its film adaptation tell the autobiographical story of Satrapi’s childhood and coming-of-age years in Iran.
The movie’s black-and-white visuals were especially powerful in conveying this dramatic biopic. The story was told with so much love and care for the central character. The movie was considered one of the best in world cinema in 2007.
RankMarjane Satrapi’s moviesRT Score (As of June 5, 2026)IMDb Score (As of June 5, 2026)Streaming on1Persepolis (2007)96% | 92%8/10Rent on Prime Video/Apple TV2The Voices (2014)74% | 58%6.3/10Prime Video3Radioactive (2019)63% | 43%6.3/10Prime Video4Chicken with Plums (2011)74% | 71%7/10Rent on Prime Video/Apple TV5Dear Paris (2024)–5.5/10–6The Gang of the Jotas (2012)–5.4/10–
RIP Marjane Satrapi. Which of these movies have you seen? Let us know in the comments below!
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
