Offside (2006)
Genre: Drama / Comedy
Duration: 88 minuten
Alternative title: Off Side
Country:
Iran
Directed by: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Shayesteh Irani
IMDb score:
7,3 (9.229)
Releasedate: 26 May 2006
Offside plot
May 2006: Iran is about to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. Among the fervent supporters are girls disguised as boys. Women in Iran are not allowed to enter the stadium. If the girls get caught, they don't give in. The soldiers guarding them try to do their job, but seem no match for the rebellious girls. While the match is being followed from a distance, a harrowing and comical power struggle unfolds.
Actors and actresses
First Girl
Smocking Girl
Soccer Girl
Girl with Tchador
Girl Disgusted as Soldier
Young Girl
Reviews & comments
BBarbie
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- 12893 messages
- 7675 votes
Following on from Dayereh (2000), another striking film by director critic Jafar Panahi. This time about the strange treatment of young women and girls who want to attend an Iran qualifying match for the 2006 World Cup in a football stadium in Tehran. Not much actually happens, but the interaction between the girls and between them and the soldiers is quite fascinating and full of witty one-liners. This makes it a thoroughly enjoyable film, which offers a different insight into a society with, in my (Western) eyes, very remarkable rules of conduct.
Now that I have seen several films from and about Iran, the pieces of the puzzle are starting to fit together. It is gradually becoming clear that people have numerous doubts about all kinds of rules and that the authority does not actually know why those rules exist.
More interesting than good.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Noodless
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- 10053 messages
- 6185 votes
A film full of dialogues and hustle and bustle that aims to convey a clear message in a light-hearted, sometimes comic way. The mutual interactions between the girls and the soldiers that relate to following rules and their society are interesting to follow and difficult for us to understand. But the film also makes it clear that they also experience it that way and simply find some things stupid. Fortunately, the theme addressed here in this film was lifted in October 2019. Iranian women are allowed to go to the football stadium and they were present in large numbers, about 4000. The women see their visit as a victory in the fight against the strict Islamic rules and against discrimination against women. The following fact makes the theme and purpose of the film completely clear. The World Football Association (FIFA) had put pressure on the Iranian authorities. If the ban on women in football stadiums continued, FIFA threatened to exclude Iran from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. That threat followed the death of Sahar Khodayari (29), a young female football fan. Khodayari, better known as 'the blue girl', tried to attend a football match of her favorite team Esteghlal Tehran FC dressed as a man. She was caught and given a six-month prison sentence. In protest she set herself on fire. She succumbed to her injuries.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Dievegge
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- 3180 messages
- 8228 votes
This is the best football drama ever, mainly because there is almost no football in it. In the 2006 World Cup, Iran would finish last in its group with one point, but this concerns the decisive qualifying match against Bahrain.
Partly it is a travesty air; partly an indictment of discrimination against women. You get a glimpse into the lives of ordinary people under a strict theocracy. Ironically, the young women experience a more memorable day than if they had simply been allowed inside. The emotional outbursts have integrity. The message gets through without it becoming preachy.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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