Howl's Moving Castle (Japan)

Hayao Miyazaki, 2004, 119 min.

Hayao Miyazaki shares with Walt Disney the capacity for first rate animation. But further parallels would confuse form with subtance.

Miyazaki films embrace some of those unshakeable contradictions of life: the blurring of lines between the ally and enemy, the monstrous and the sublime, the charming and the terrifying.

This is an enchanted adventure of an 18 year old girl trapped in a 90 year old body, by a jealous witch. Her only hope of breaking the spell is a young wizard with a perplexing personality. The story unfolds with bewitched scare-crows, fire demons, metamorphising creatures and a moving castle.

The film screens at Rajan and Sumathy's, 7A Cambell place, Dehiwela. Please arrive at 7:00pm for a 7:15 pm start.

Persepolis (Iran, Vienna, France)

Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, 2007, 96 min.

A funny and intelligent autobiographical story set in the backdrop of the Iranian-revolution.

Long dreams are fulfilled for the family of young Marji Statrapi as the hated US backed Shah is defeated in the Iranian Revolution of 1979. But as Marji grows up, their hopes are disappointed: victims become victimisers and Islamic politicians engineer their own kind of repressive state.
A rebellious Marji is sent to Austria where she manages to find a world of different contradictions; after which, the pro-western-culture radical returns to Iran to a series of new adventures and decisions.

Persepolis was nominated for an Oscar in 2008 as the best animated feature film, and won the Jury Prize at the Canne film festival in 2007.

The screening is at 11 Norham Gardens. Arrive 8:45pm for 9:00pm start.