Persepolis 2 (2004)

If the first ''Persepolis'' told of the disillusionment of living under a veil of Islamic extremism in Iran, Persepolis 2 is a paean to what the author left behind. Hastened out of the country by her activist parents, 15-year-old Satrapi lands in Austria, mixes with an anarchist set, and indulges in dating horny boys and smoking weed. But haunted by the uncertain future of her family, she returns to Tehran four years later and falls into a funk, only to come out swinging in the face of oppression (among her achievements: redrafting her college's head-scarf laws and doing time in the big house for partying). Still, her rebellious stunts never undermine Satrapi's unconditional love for her troubled homeland—which, in these times of religious fervor and political gain, resonates all the more poignantly.

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