Tehran, 1978: eight-year-old Marjane dreams of being a prophet who will save the world. Reared by very modern parents and especially fond of her grandmother, she fearfully follows the events leading to the revolution and the exile of the Shah. With establishment of the Islamic Republic begins the period of the “pasdaran” who check on citizens’ behavior and dress. Marjane, who has to wear the veil, turns revolutionary. The war with Iraq leads to bombardments, privations and disappearing relatives. Internal repression becomes crueler each day and Marjane’s parents decide to have her study in Austria to protect her. In Vienna, at age 14, Marjane experiences her second “revolution”: adolescence, freedom, love but also exile, solitude and diversity. |
