We can see how shocked they are to see that protestors got killed by ruthless Bassijis (Volunteers protecting the Islamic Revolution) on the day of Ashura during which killing is considered as a terrible sacrilege. We can also feel the excitment in their eyes as they tell us that this mistake is probably the beginning of something big, a national unity between reformers and religious people against the government being the only way the regime can capitulate. In this context, they decide to watch the French-Iranian movie Persepolis, which follows a young girl as she comes of age during and after the Islamic Revolution. This girl is of their generation and they can easily identify themselves during distressing scenes showing the atrocity during the first years of the regime. At the end of the movie, as we are highly moved, one of them breaks the silence and tells us:"Don't be upset, it's not your problem, it's our problem."
Photo essay: Two Europeans cycle from Mashad to Turkish border
by Karim & Hubert