Cartoons aren’t always funny.

Centered around a young girl coming of age during the turbulent years after the ousting of the Shah in Iran, the animated film Persepolis portrays a seemingly universal — while still incredibly personal — biography of the joys and tragedies of life, and manages to beautifully depict the phrase uttered many times in the film: “Freedom always has a price.”

The film, adapted from Marjane Satrapi’s autobiography of the same name, is narrated in French and begins in ’70s era Iran, during a time when protests for freedom and removal of the shah were frequent. Through a series of stories and flashbacks (with strong social commentary regarding the U.S. involvement in bringing the Shah to power), the image of an incredibly repressed people and a brutal government are powerfully conveyed. The audience is introduced to nine-year-old Marjane, an infinitely imaginative and free-spirited girl who proclaims that her two goals in life are “shaving my legs one day, and being the last prophet of the galaxy.” Her parents and relatives are avid supporters of revolution and freedom and are overjoyed when the Shah is removed shortly thereafter. Marjane’s Uncle Anouche, who had been jailed as a political prisoner under the old regime, is released, and the hope for freedom and a bright future abound.

However, these hopes are incredibly short-lived. The new government is elected to power and the characters quickly realize that they are as bad as or worse than their predecessors. War breaks out with Iraq, and the government harshly represses any and all internal uprising. Women are forcibly veiled and stripped of many rights, and laws against not only insurrection, but music, parties and alcohol are strictly enforced. Marjane’s family continues to fight for freedom and attempts to maintain some semblance of their former lives, and Marjane herself rebels by listening to the forbidden rock music (Iron Maiden being her favorite), but after several family members are arrested and executed for standing out against the regime, her parents decide to send her abroad to Vienna in an attempt to give her a better life.

The story continues from here depicting the experiences of Marjane as she tries to reconcile her guilt of having left behind her family and country during a time of incredible strife. With her newfound freedom in Europe, Marjane attempts to deal with her alienation in her new home, along with the universal issues that face everyone as they navigate through their teenage years. She tries and fails to find confidants, friends and love, and at one point is even forced to live on the street.

The film gains much of its power not only from the factual social and historical events, but from the personal story of Marjane as well. Satrapi, who also wrote the screenplay and co-directed the film with Vincent Paronnaud. The work has already won many — well-deserved — awards, and has been nominated for the Oscar for best animated film.

The stark, minimalist, black and white animation is jarring and extremely effective in creating the often desolate tone of the film, and the fact that the images are obviously hand-drawn (not the overly computerized animation which has become standard) is both refreshing and appropriate to the film’s overall theme. Color is only used when Marjane’s character arrives in Europe, creating an obvious dichotomy between Iran and the West.

The characters in the story are all incredibly strong and endearing, but the depiction of Marjane’s grandmother is by far the most powerful and poignant. Not only does the woman provide much of the comic relief of the film, but also stands as Marjane’s main reason for continuing to fight for freedom. She stands out as a strong-willed female in a country where women were harshly repressed in all aspects of life.

Persepolis is a story of how the Iranian revolution, an important world event, personally affected one girl, and how those experiences factor into her journey to adulthood. In the end, it is a beautiful and affecting coming-of-age story which contains elements that everyone can relate to, and also provides a glimpse into the mind and world of an incredible young woman.