Offside (2006/I)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Jafar Panahi

Writers:

Jafar Panahi (writer)
Shadmehr Rastin (writer)

Release Date:

26 May 2006 (Austria)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

In Iran, All Women Are Banned From Men's Sporting Events

Plot:

Struggle of Women in a country that excludes them from entering the stadiums.

Plot Keywords:

Stadium | Iran | Women | Iranian | Soccer

Awards:

4 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Sima Mobarak-Shahi	...	First girl
Shayesteh Irani	...	Smoking girl
Ayda Sadeqi	...	Soccer girl
Golnaz Farmani	...	Girl with tchador
Mahnaz Zabihi	...	Girl disguised as soldier
Nazanin Sediq-zadeh	...	Young girl
Melika Shafahi
Safdar Samandar	...	Soldier from Azerbaijan
Mohammad Kheir-abadi	...	Soldier from Mashad
Masoud Kheymeh-kabood	...	Soldier from Tehran
Mohammed-Reza Gharebaghi
Hadi Saeedi	...	Soldier
Masoud Gheyas-vand
Ali Baradari	...	Bus Passenger
Ali Roshan

MPAA:

Rated PG for language throughout, and some thematic elements.

Runtime:

93 min | Germany:88 min (Berlin International Film Festival)

Country:

Iran

Language:

Persian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR | DTS

Certification:

Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | UK:PG | Germany:o.Al. | Sweden:7 | USA:PG | Hong Kong:I | Netherlands:12 | Australia:PG | Brazil:12 | South Korea:All | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran

Company:

Jafar Panahi Film Productions

Trivia:

This film just like other films of director, Jafar Panahi is banned in Iran.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "At the Movies: (2006-09-27)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Ey Iran

comedy can lighten pretty much anything

Jafar Panahi's comedy-drama "Offside" portrays some women trying to enter a Tehran sports arena from which women are banned. The official reason: lots of foul language, and the soccer players have their legs showing. But of course, it's really a case of sexism. So, most of the movie consists of mild comic relief as the women try to ask the men serious questions about why women are banned from the stadium, and one woman even comes up with her own scheme to defy the men.

As I understand, all of Jafar Panahi's movies (this one included) are banned in Iran. The real tragedy is that the CIA's 1953 overthrow of the prime minister and subsequent backing of the brutal shah gave Ayatollah Khomeini an excuse to use his narrow interpretation of the Koran to establish a chauvinistic society, and that George W. Bush's current policy towards Iran gives Mahmoud Ahmadinejad an excuse to act the cowboy and tighten censorship.

Above all, this is a neat look at people coming up with ways to challenge the system. Not a great movie, but worth seeing. Considering that all Jafar Panahi's movies are banned, I wonder how he's able to even make them.