Mina Kavani, an Iranian exile living in Paris, portrays herself in the performance I'm deranged, presented at the Athénée Théâtre Louis-Jouvet in Paris. The show, which she wrote, directed, and performs, explores themes of her dreams, nightmares, desires, and passions, framing her experience as an exile. The performance takes place in extreme formal simplicity, on a small stage with dim lighting, a chair, and two large mirrors that reflect and multiply her dark silhouette. Kavani describes the piece as existing at the junction between two territories and two universes, moving between reality and fantasy, and between an unsatisfactory reality and the means to defy fate. Kavani was born and raised in Tehran under the Islamic Republic regime before fleeing to Paris, the city she had always dreamed of. She now says she no longer knows to whom or to what she belongs. As a young child, she was forced to wear a veil and a strict school uniform, but in her family, she received a permissive and emancipating education rich in art, conversations, and openness to others and the world. Her home, where artists and intellectuals passed through, was part of an underground milieu with Westernized lifestyle and thinking, in which she thrived, met friends, partied, drank, smoked, pushed limits, and rejected prohibitions. She describes this experience as a form of "schizophrenia." Kavani's challenge has been to gain her freedom and fully emancipate herself, and she has succeeded by becoming an actress and escaping censorship. She has performed in Forteresses by Gurshad Shaheman, an Iranian compatriot, writer, and performer. She has also appeared in cinema, including in No Bear by Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, which received the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival in 2022. Previously, she appeared in Red Rose by Sepideh Farsi, where she was sometimes shown naked on screen. This moment marked her condemnation to no longer be able to return to Iran. In Paris, Kavani remains an eternal stranger, uninhibited but desperately alone and overwhelmed by nostalgia. The show is supported by the musical composition of Siavash Amini and the lighting design of Marco Giusti. It reenacts her life and defies the forbidden, using words and thoughts to return to her past. She shares an exceptionally rich and bubbling inner world, oscillating between tenderness and combative energy. The performance includes contributions from various collaborators, including set designer Clémence Kazémi, sound artist-son Cinna Peyghamy, and general stage management by Laurent Etourneau. It was produced by Prémisses and Grosse Théâtre, with co-productions from Le Manège – Maubeuge scène nationale and TU-Nantes, Scène jeune création. Residency support was provided by Montévideo-Marseille, Le Manège – Maubeuge scène nationale, and TU-Nantes, with support from the Regional Council of Pays de la Loire. The show ran in October 2023 and will be presented again from 6 to 17 October 2026 at Théâtre 14 in Paris.