AllMovie

Persepolis co-directors Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud make the leap from animation to live action with this expressionistic adaptation of Satrapi's graphic novel about a mercurial violinist who embraces death and embarks on a surreal journey through the past and future after his beloved instrument is destroyed. Tehran, 1958: Nasser-Ali (Mathieu Amalric) has devoted his entire life to music. The violin bequeathed to him by his musical guru more cherished than his own wife and children, Nasser writes music capable of stirring the soul, and pours his whole heart into every note. When that instrument is broken beyond repair, the crestfallen musician retreats to his bed and invites death to take him. But the Grim Reaper refuses to comply, and instead Nassir finds himself inexplicably transported deep into his past before being thrust into the future to witness the fates of his neglected children firsthand. Edouard Baer, Maria de Medeiros, and Isabella Rossellini co-star.