07.04.2010

Subtle messages

A Hopi member reviews Jafar Panahi's film Offside

Offside tells the story of a group of young football fans attempting to sneak into Iran’s match against Bahrain during World Cup qualifiers in 2005. Why sneak? Because these fans have the misfortune of being female, and women are banned from attending football matches in Iran. They are spotted, arrested by soldiers and chained to the railings outside the stadium. From there they have to listen to the crowd’s reactions to the game and try to cajole the soldiers into giving them updates.

The film is lighter in tone that other outstanding Panahi films such as The circle and Crimson gold. But it still carries an indictment of the treatment of Iranian women, plus a subtle anti-war message.

As Panahi told the LA Times, “There is a dialogue in the movie between the soldiers and the girls, and their conversation is an indication that the Iranian people can resolve their own problems. Unfortunately, the tensions that exist today, and this talk of whether there is going to be a war or not, is diverting us from following that path.” The women in Offside are “taking a chance without being afraid of the consequences. They show their presence and say, ‘We’re here, we exist, we’re half the people in this country and we have certain rights we’re entitled to.’”