Review of Offside (2006) by Heather M — 15 Nov 2013

Like 'The Circle', Offside is about sex discrimination in Iran. But golly! This is a different beast altogether from Jafar Panahi's earlier film. After the Islamic revolution football matches were one of the things barred to women. It became common for young women to disguise themselves as boys to watch games. Apparently the inspiration of the film was an incident when Panahi's daughter was refused entry to a football match (she snuck in anyway).

Offside is set against the 2006 World Cup qualifying match between Iran and Bahrain in Azadi Stadium in Tehran. As the crowds enter the stadium we become aware that singly, young girls disguised as boys are attempting to slip pass guards on the look-out for such deviant behaviour. One by one, girls who are caught are placed in a holding area outside the stadium where they can hear, but not see the game. One of the young conscript soldier guarding the girls provides a commentary for them and a lively discussion about football and women's position in society follows - a lovely, gently mocking film, which nonetheless again questioned contemporary Iranian society. All set against the on-going match, of which Panahi used real footage.

For the soldiers the girls are a bit of a nightmare: their faces are painted in the Iranian colours (apart from the girl who manages to see the first half disguised as a soldier), they smoke, they argue, and they know absolutely loads about football. But as the two groups get to know each other the girls are awarded some respect. Just as well, the only young lad on the bus taking the delinquents back into town is rude to the girls and one of them drops the nut on his face. There is a happy ending too, as the soldiers, the girls, and the country celebrate victory.

After the film was made a group called the White Scarf Girls who protest at football matches in Iran (they are mentioned in the movie) began carrying banners saying "We don't want to be Offside". After many brushes with the Iranian authorities Panahi was arrested and imprisoned in March 2010. In December 2010 he was convicted for "assembly and colluding with the intention to commit crimes against the country's national security and propaganda against the Islamic Republic," and sentenced to six years imprisonment and a 20-year ban on making or directing any movies, writing screenplays, giving any form of interview with Iranian or foreign media. He was not allowed to leave Iran except for the Hajj or medical treatment.

Subsequently he has spent the time under house arrest, and despite the election of the 'relatively' liberal President Hassan Rouhani, there he remains still under the 20-year filmmaking ban, still not allowed to travel. But since the election several Iranian cultural figures have been released from detention and Iran's guild for filmmakers, the House of Cinema, has been re-opened - we should try to be optimistic.

'Offside' has glorious moments of farce. The nice young soldier who has to escort one of the girls to the gents' (there are obviously no ladies') makes her cover her face with a poster of an Iranian football star so that it is not obvious that she's a girl - she walks along with this male face-mask tied to her head. He first makes sure all men have gone; this is not that difficult because the match is on, but a few have to be hurried and an indignant couple of young men have to prevented from entering. By now she is hopping up and down: he instructs her to put her hand over her eyes before going in. From behind her male poster masks she wails in bafflement, "Why should I do that?" "So you can't read." "Read what?" "The walls" he announces. Let's hope that Hassan Rouhani doesn't follow the soldier's instruction.