Zéro

What part of our identity should we bequeath to our children when our roots are anchored in war, exile, and dispossession? This question plagues the Iranian-born Montrealer Mani Soleymanlou, whose young son was born here. As usual, it is with great derision, wit and verve that he shares his thoughts and doubts with us. This stand-up monologue goes back to the roots of his creation and scratches a few irritants in passing: certain propagators of hatred in newspapers and social networks, the obsession for diversity, the discordant discourse on racism in Quebec…

In this last (?) opus of his “cycle of numbers”, the fourth to be hosted by the Carrefour, the artist also pays homage to his father with a short film reenacting the night he was abducted, hooded and interrogated by the Guardians of the Revolution. Once released, he made a decision: he was going to get his family out of Iran. Now a father himself, Mani Soleymanlou refuses to burden his own son with this heavy past. He wants to offer him a fresh start, a return to zero, in a world he hopes is better suited for living together.