Offside (2006) Movie Review

Both a hilarious comedy and a sharp examination of a restrictive society, Panahi's latest film is also his most engaging. And it was, of course, banned at home in Iran.

In Iran since 1979, football matches are for men only, unless you're a foreigner. Here, a young football-obsessed girl (Shahi) dresses as a boy to sneak into Teheran's stadium for a World Cup qualifying match. But she's nabbed by the cops and held just outside the stadium with other female transgressors. But these girls are sharper than their country-boy captors. And they drive the guards mad with requests, coherent arguments and hilariously rude teasing. "Stop snickering," one blurts out helplessly.

Using a non-professional cast and obviously filming on an actual match day, Panahi expertly captures the raw atmosphere. For what's essentially a comedy, these are surprisingly complex characters who are vivid and sparky. Even the "oppressors" are merely doing their jobs--young men in their required army service counting the days until they're out. Even when they're bad we find it hard to dislike them.

The simple plot is loaded with terrific sequences. Most amusing is when one girl (Sadeghi) convinces the dopiest guard (Kheyrabadi) to let her use the toilet, which is a bit of a trick when there's no ladies room. And the van ride to the police station, during the game's final minutes, is priceless. Through it all, the girls torment the guards relentlessly. There's a sense that everyone knows this prohibition is wrong, so the fact that the girls are smarter and understand football better is particularly galling to the soldiers.

Panahi loads the movie with personal touches--character quirks, witty banter, telling details, sudden emotion. The edgy camera work catches the setting perfectly; we hear the roaring crowd but can't actually see the match, just like the girls. This is busy and buzzy filmmaking, quick-paced and never bogged down in the extremely serious issue. Panahi focuses on the enjoyable story and lets the message come through loud and clear without even a hint of preaching. As a result it's both hugely entertaining and deeply important.