Offside (2006, Iran)

An interesting film about Iranian culture. There is a big international football match against Bahrain, and several young women independently make attempts to get into the match. As women aren't allowed in, they dress as young men. We presume several made it, but a few are caught and detained outside the ground.

The film is billed as a comedy, but it is more of a drama. The detained women -- and their guards -- can hear the game in progress but can't see it. The soldiers allocated to detain them are ill-disciplined and are more interested in the match than doing their job. And when the women demand to know why it is that they can't be allowed in, the soldiers don't have real answers.

Eventually a minibus turns up and they are to be taken to the central police station, but the soldiers try to listen to the commentary in the closing minutes of the match on the radio. When Iran finally wins, the bus is in a busy shopping area and the streets are clogged with celebrating people, and everything is in further chaos. The soldiers get out to join the celebrations, and the girls are allowed to "escape".

So there isn't really a plot, just a message. Interesting film, though.

HF January 2008

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