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Among so many other wonderful things, Persepolis is an example of a graphic novel that has been lifted to the cinema screen without the aid of wondrous and realistic digimation, but rather hand-drawn monochrome shadow theatre. People move in mysterious ways, buildings look ominous, and many animated details are thinly layered. But the cartoonish simplicity of the visual aesthetic serves this, actually rather human, story so remarkably well. It is the kind of movie that marries the personal and the political perfectly, to be informative as much as it is entertaining and moving.

We are following the trails of a young Iranian girl from Tehran called Marjane. Around the late 1970s, just before the fall of the Iranian Shah, Marjane is still carefree and blissfully unaware of her country's struggles against an oppressive Shah. She loves Bruce Lee and jamming to Iron Maiden records. But her leftist politically-conscious family make sure she is aware of what is going on. She learns why Iran has a monarchy in the first place, and what role the West had in making sure they didn't institute a republic. Her communist uncle Anoush tells her of how an uprising would only help Iran, since nothing could be worse than living under the Shah. We then live through the revolution with Marjane's family, as the country goes from an oppressive monarchy to an even more oppressive Islamic fundamentalist republic. All women are required to wear veils, and many cultural items, including alcohol and Marjane's Iron Maiden records, become illegal. Public displays of affection are frowned upon. What the film captures brilliantly is the struggle her family faces in trying to raise a normal girl in an oppressive environment. At one point her mother turns to her now grown-up daughter, who hastily married her boyfriend, and says "When I was your age, your father and I could hold hands in public". As a youngster she tries to remain true to herself, and even goes as far as wearing a jacket with "Punk is not ded (sic)" written on the back of it, much to the chagrin of her neighbours and city-watchmen.

Her parents eventually decide Iran is not good enough for their daughter, and send her to Vienna for education. With a new country, comes new ideas, but fresh problems. She experiences the snooty racism of the west, and becomes embarrassed by her own identity. The movie also demonstrates the naivety many westerners share about the middle east, or just the world in general, by their apathy to political causes. Marjane was raised by a politically-literate family, and feels strongly about the causes many Iranians died for.

Where the movie really shines is showing Marjane become a woman. Although Persepolis is much about the political struggles that one faces in 1980s Iran, it is also about the personal struggles of an every-day woman. Marjane discovers boys and parties, but also the heartbreak relationships bring. Eventually she returns to Iran where said parties and relationships are frowned upon.

Persepolis is about a world far too often untouched by western filmmakers, but it is a film that tells a universal story. The filmmaker, Vincent Parronaud, uses pop-culture references allowing us to easily relate to the film's protagonist. Indeed so much of Persepolis entails the struggle one has of freedom under an oppressive regime, but Marejane remains defiant throughout the film. She is the antithesis of the stereotypical meekness of middle eastern women; proud of her heritage, literate and consistently questioning the world. In many ways Personalise is a tribute the female spirit. Marjorie never gives up hope, even if the first image of the film is of a grown up Marjane sitting in a Parisian airport, looking forlornly at the ground. We know melancholy will accompany the following story, but what beauty it pays to it's inhabitants. Marjane's grandmother, who advises her granddaughter throughout her life to stay true to herself. Her parents who try their best to raise a smart, independent girl. And her uncle, who died because of what he believed. Such tragedy, and yet a movie as funny, moving and generally uplifting as Persepolis demands to be seen by everyone.

21 is the kind of movie that ensures you even if your knowledge and tolerance of card games is zilch and thin, that they are sexed up enough to keep you watching. Ben Campbell is a young student, with a genius-like understanding of numeracy. This interests his lecturer (Kevin Spacey, clearly on weekend night-shift form) who assembles a crack team of young geniuses, including Kate Bosworth as a rocket scientist (don't laugh), to rip-off the Vegas casinos through card-counting. The movie's intellect never aspires to the level of it's subjects, but the visual aesthetics and bouncy tone are enough to wet even the most ardent of anti-gamblers' appetites.

Set in 1982, Son of Rambow potentially pictures itself as a madcap send-up of 1980s cheese-fest First Blood. But the film actually celebrates the creative outflow of the childhood imagination. Even if that creativity is inspired by Rambo, the young protagonist of the film Will (Proudfoot) is part of a ultra-conservative Christian sect known as the Plymouth Brethren. He is prevented from watching television, movies and even reading books (that aren't the bible). He runs into discouraged fellow classmate, and renowned outcast Lee Carter (Poulter), who uses him to make a home-movie sequel to First Blood. At first, Carter bullies him into making the film, but eventually the boys form a bond, one that is strengthened due to each boy's disassociation with their family. Lee is ignored by his bigger brother, and disowned by his natural parents, whereas Will is condemned by his mother for his supposedly hedonistic detachment to the Plymouth brethren. The film is consistently funny, unashamedly retro and nicely touching. And features two strong debut leads from Bill Milner and Will Poulter.