The Play 'The Story of Two Men' by Reza Alamehzadeh; A Romantic Tale of Two Iranian Gay Men

The play 'The Story of Two Men', a new work by Reza Alamehzadeh, a prominent figure in Iranian cinema and theater abroad, recently premiered in Cologne, Germany. In this play, he tackles a different subject by narrating the romantic story of two Iranian gay men, breaking taboos and addressing some of the cultural and social limitations and discrimination faced by sexual and gender minorities. These two men, who have been friends since their teenage years, meet again in Germany after many years and express their hidden love in middle age. The performance of 'The Story of Two Men' received positive reactions from the audience and garnered significant attention on social media. Reza Alamehzadeh, who resides in the Netherlands, explained in an interview with VOA about 'The Story of Two Men' and the features of this play. He stated that his primary motivation for addressing this topic was to tackle one of the social issues in his own community, as people often overlook the problems faced by the small community of sexual and gender minorities in their living environment and do not pay attention to the discrimination they endure. He also emphasized the artistic motivation behind creating a text suitable for this issue and presenting it in an artistic form on stage. Regarding the text and the approach taken in the play, he explained that the writing style is a combination of direct narration with the audience and dramatic enactment of sensitive moments in the story. This was the hardest task that he and his actors had to achieve during their long rehearsals. For example, two female characters in this play, Akhtar and Shabnam, have both passed away, but when they narrate their stories to the audience, they enter the scene and interact with the two main characters, Hadi and Firouz. Hadi, 77 years old, had managed to suppress his temptation for fifty years until his grandchild was born in Germany, without making any effort to meet Firouz, his closest friend from his teenage years, even during the time when his wife was Firouz's secretary at their office or when he knew Firouz had migrated to Germany, where Hadi's daughter later settled. The meeting of the two elderly men after half a century in Germany begins warmly, but the recollection of past memories robs them of a peaceful night, stirring a wave of positive and negative emotions in their minds with each memory, including those of Shabnam, Hadi's wife, and Akhtar, Firouz's younger sister, who fell victim to cancer and the clutches of the Islamic regime, respectively. The heaviest and bittersweet memories, however, relate to the exceptional and romantic relationship between the two, which is difficult for either of them to address, even though they both know that this opportunity has been given to them only once, a chance to express their love without fear of openly revealing their sexual orientation to each other, something that has never been possible in their traditional homeland. However, love is said to be the sister of death, and this makes the night of the meeting between these two elderly men even more exciting for them. As for the actors, their roles were much more prominent than usual, as they had to recreate characters on stage that have few examples not only in Iranian works but also in foreign ones. If there have been examples in television series, they mostly mock or even belittle homosexuals rather than express their pains and expectations from society. Fortunately, my actors, Sepideh Shakri, Houman Azarkolah, and Hamidreza Javadian, showcased their acting skills on stage with power and beauty, demonstrating a deep understanding of the characters without falling into common stereotypes in this area. As for the performance and reception, from what I heard from the audience at the only performance we had, everyone was impressed, and its reflection in Persian-language media was much more than I expected. There is no doubt that if opportunities for further performances arise, the work will be polished more and have a greater impact on the audience. Addressing such subjects can significantly influence cultural development in society. I have previously stated that art can have the greatest impact on the cultural development of a society. Opening a door that has remained closed presents a new perspective to the audience that will make them think. If more artists work in this field, there is hope that the blatant discrimination against sexual and gender minorities in Iranian society will gradually be alleviated. Reza Alamehzadeh continued his artistic activities outside Iran after the 1979 revolution and is considered an active figure in the field of cinema and theater abroad. His works include the feature film 'Guests of the Astoria Hotel' and documentaries such as 'The Night After the Revolution', 'Sacred Crime', and 'Iranian Taboo'.