The life of the Iranian citizens is two floors. The first, very visible, it is the street, the public life, regulated and controlled in behavior as in dressing by the political system of the country. In the second floor, rather underground-basement because not visible and hidden, there is places, times and privated life. We make what we can not make in broad daylight, party with friends, excesses of alcohol, films and musical variety of the whole world by way of the satellite, secret loves like everywhere. But behind, naturally, and if ever the police comes, we will solve the dispute by sliding some ryals in the pocket of the officer. Separation imposed between two floors is not certainly the most convenient to live. Especially when the demand of freedom, knowledge of yourself, participation for the collective and social life is important and especially boiling in this country. It is at least what we were able to feel by crossing the country from the West to the East. Since Tabriz till Mashhad, impossible to put a foot in a city or a village without creating a group of kind chaps who want basically to supply their help or even to assist, either in the evening to be discreetly invited to have dinner by the younger daughter of a family living near and to be interrogated like : "What do you think about Iran ? What do you think abour Iranians ? ". After all, why not ? It could be simply different and it might be possible to live there in this background. Many Iranians are proud of their country. Many of them are living like this with more or less of success, breakage, hope, sense and resistance. But resistance, abnormality, creativity, attempt - error, brief the lapel of the freedom, are not really welcomed and the gap, lived as a contradictory order, is difficult to interiorize and can be source of suffering. Effect and excess of gravity of the first floor, lack of harmony between two levels are heavy of load and consequences on people. It reduces choices, perspectives and width of the life. Farnaz and Shiva, two friends between thirty and forty years old, are witnesses.

" When you have the possibility to believe in something, you have some hope and it is necessary to get this hope. Personally, I do not believe any more in any changes in this country and I have no hope anymore. At the time of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, as many others friends, I believed in the changes and I put a lot into the collective fight. Finally things got worse only. It seems to me that there are many misunderstandings in the relations which are nevertheless evolving between the former and the new generations. My mother always wanted me to do the same thing as her for example. Risk-taking is difficult here : people are afraid of losing their security, they need to be pushed to dare and due to the lack of alternatives, they calcify and close. Another example, in a couple, a woman who is not happy, and conscious of its situation, will wait for someone else support to dare to leave. I wonder where is past morality, values and the spirit of resistance of people. There are so many empty speeches and life-quest as well. The low paid teachers often have a second job and neglect their first vocation. Even the artists, who have theorycally a freedom and a responsibility in cultural and political bendings, produce works for interest and for prestige. Young people are copying the model of life outside although the best comes from inside according to me. I try to change things around me, through my relations by trying to be more comprehensive, more united. But I continue to meet many misunderstandings.
Today, I do not see any future for Iran !
Then, I write. I write to show what people lose in this battle, to reveal the internal twistings which everyone gradually undergoes. I write stories that show this evidence. I hope eventually to be able to live of this work and to gather artists around the idea that art can change things within the society ! " - Farnaz.


" In my case, it is quiet the same thing. I have troubles imagining to remain to live here. I stayed here for a long time while my family left to the United States and I think that at the moment my life is somewhere else. Knowing foreign countries and level of freedom granted to the Iranian citizens, I rather to go blooming in another place. I believe that changings are possible but I do not believe that it will happen during my life, it will take years and years. On the other hand, I do not feel the collective desire to make a progress for our society. I stay here a little until I can not really tolerate anymore " - Shiva.