Chicken with Plums, expected to be released in the UK later this year, following premieres at the London and Venice film festivals, is more of an exercise in nostalgia. Although undeniably humorous, Persepolis was about a childhood and an adolescence blighted by oppression, war, revolution and exile. There are moments of animation, scenes featuring the grim reaper and one very strange American interlude. The storytelling has a determinedly whimsical dimension. His devoted wife tries to rouse him by cooking his favourite meals, but he is too caught up in his memories to budge. Loosely inspired by Satrapi's uncle, it tells the story of a brilliant violinist (played by Mathieu Amalric) who is so dismayed about his violin breaking – and about the memory of a lost sweetheart – that he takes to his bed. This time, however, it does not have an overtly political dimension.

Like Persepolis, Chicken with Plums is rooted in Satrapi's family history. We agreed on everything and became friends.' After several months, they had a coffee together and 'started talking about geopolitics.

'I thought, 'He's a fucking asshole', and he thought, 'This woman is crazy,'' recalls Satrapi. However, when they first met at a studio in Paris, they took an intense dislike to one another. 'It's extremely nihilistic, extremely dark,' she says of Pinocchio, Smart Monkey and Monsieur Ferraille. Satrapi was a fan of Paronnaud's comic book work (created under the nom de plume Winshluss) long before she met him. He nods placidly in agreement with Satrapi's description of their relationship, explaining that the 46-day shoot was 'very stressful'. Paronnaud, a Frenchman, is quietly sardonic, sharply dressed, bearded and rake-thin. Iranian-born Satrapi is an extrovert, full of humour. Both are established comic book artists who have made the leap into movies. Satrapi and Paronnaud make an engaging double act. This may be a live action movie – unlike the duo's previous work, the 2007 blockbuster animation Persepolis – but it conjures up Tehran in a magical, dream-like fashion. Set in the 1950s, it depicts a city with a thriving cafe culture, elegant old buildings and shops – a place made to look picture-postcard pretty by the snow that falls so often. But after one hour, it is finished.' Satrapi is talking about working with fellow graphic novelist-turned-director Vincent Paronnaud on Chicken with Plums, a film that shows a little-known side of Tehran. 'Sometimes,' says Marjane Satrapi, 'we become completely angry! He feels like hitting me.

Chicken with plums by marjane satrapi