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| Offside | 
 enlarge | List Price: $29.95 (€23.66)
Buy New: $2.99 (€2.36)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 6 reviews)
Sales Rank: 39400
Category: DVD
Publisher: Sony Pictures
Studio: Sony Pictures
Brand: Sony
Label: Sony Pictures
Format: Ac-3, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: Farsi (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 92 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: COLD17097D
UPC: 043396170971
EAN: 0043396170971
ASIN: B000S0GYD4
Release Date: August 28, 2007
Theatrical Release Date: 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 08/28/2007 Run time: 92 minutes Rating: Pg
Amazon.com
Lighter in tone but still a companion piece to his devastating 2000 film The Circle, the superb Offside finds director Jafar Panahi continuing his exploration of the difficulties of a woman's place in contemporary Iran. The ingenious concept of Offside puts most of the action at a large soccer stadium in Tehran, where a group of young women--banned from the game on the sole basis of their sex--have been captured by stadium guards after sneaking inside. Not only are they in a kind of holding pen awaiting arrest, the girls can't even glimpse the World Cup qualifying match between Iran and Bahrain, although they can hear the sounds of the crowd. (They've made themselves up to look like boys, thus risking serious consequences for the sake of their fandom, but the no-women-allowed rule is in place to "protect" them from the rough habits of men.) Panahi actually withholds the game itself, focusing on the interactions between the girls and their guards--a group of disaffected guys who would rather be watching the game themselves. At every turn Panahi illuminates some subtle point about the limits put on women, yet the film is full of humor. The viewer is left not with a political tract but with rich human comedy, and with the idea that the spectacle of a white ball pushed across a green field might bring people together in a way that transcends sex, class, or the oppressive rules of a regime. --Robert Horton
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
a triumph of movie naturalism January 6, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
****1/2
In Iran, women are not permitted to attend men's sporting events, apparently to "protect" them from all the cursing and foul language they might hear emanating from the male fans (so since men can`t restrain or behave themselves, women are forced to suffer. Go figure.). "Offside" tells the tale of a half dozen or so young women who, dressed like men, attempt to sneak into the high-stakes match between Iran and Bahrain that, in 2005, qualified Iran to go to the World Cup (the movie was actually filmed in large part during that game).
"Offside" is a slice-of-life comedy that will remind you of all those great humanistic films ("The Shop on Main Street," "Loves of a Blonde," "Closely Watched Trains" etc.) that flowed out of Communist Czechoslovakia as part of the "Prague Miracle" in the mid 1960's. As with many of those works, "Offside" is more concerned with observing life than with devising any kind of elaborately contrived fictional narrative. Indeed, it is the simplicity of the setup and the naturalism of the style that make the movie so effective.
Once their ruse is discovered, the girls are corralled into a small pen right outside the stadium where they can hear the raucous cheering emanating from the game inside. Stuck where they are, all they can do is plead with the security guards to let them go in, guards who are basically bumbling, good-natured lads who are compelled to do their duty as a part of their compulsory military service. Even most of the men going into the stadium don't seem particularly perturbed at the thought of these women being allowed in. Still the prohibition persists. Yet, how can one not be impressed by the very real courage and spunk displayed by these women as they go up against a system that continues to enforce such a ridiculously regressive and archaic restriction? And, yet, the purpose of these women is not to rally behind a cause or to make a "point." They are simply obsessed fans with a burning desire to watch a soccer game and, like all the men in the country, cheer on their team.
It's hard to tell just how much of the dialogue is scripted and how much of it is extemporaneous, but, in either case, the actors, with their marvelously expressive faces, do a magnificent job making each moment seem utterly real and convincing. Mohammad Kheir-abadi and Shayesteh Irani are notable standouts in a uniformly excellent cast. The structure of the film is also very loose and freeform, as writer/director Jafar Panahi and co-writer Shadmehr Rastin focus for a few brief moments on one or two of the characters, then move smoothly and effortlessly onto others. With this documentary-type approach, we come to feel as if we are witnessing an actual event unfolding in "real time." Very often, it's quite easy for us to forget we're actually watching a movie.
It was a very smart move on the part of the filmmakers to include so much good-natured humor in the film (it's what the Czech filmmakers did as well), the better to point up the utter absurdity of the situation and broaden the appeal of the film for audiences both domestic and foreign. "Offside" is obviously a cry for justice, but it is one that is made all the more effective by its refusal to make of its story a heavy-breathing tragedy. Instead, it realizes that nothing breaks down social barriers quite as efficiently as humor and an appeal to the audience's common humanity. And isn't that what true art is supposed to be all about?
In its own quiet, understated way, "Offside" is one of the great, under-appreciated gems of 2007.
 Brave, Intelligent Women Seek To Challenge The Iranian Status Quo December 12, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Jafar Panahi's "Offside" is a simple but powerful film. It involves several different young women who have been placed in a roped off "security area" for attempting to sneak into a World Cup soccer match between Iran and Bahrain. They are guarded by a group of bored army soldiers and much of the film involves the exchange of comments and wise cracks between the women and the soldiers.
In terms of action not a whole lot happens except for a very funny scene involving one of the women being escorted to the bathrom. But still I found myself enjoying the movie and admiring what it had to say about social circumstances and gender roles in Iran. The women are smart and quick witted, much braver and more perceptive than the knuckle head men guarding them. The final part of the movie is the best as the women are transported from the soccer stadium and finally given a chance to take part in the victory celebrations occuring all over the city.
Obviously, Iran is much more extreme in its sexism and gender segregation than the United States. But still the sort of "women and men are different" and "women's purity needs to be protected" arguments offered by the soldiers are not all that different from certain "men are the head of household" ideas now presented by the Southern Baptist Convention and other religious right wingers in this country.
Of course, the Iranian mullahs are even worse, especially since they have so much power in Iran. I believe that our strong national heritage of separation of church and state will prevent religious nutcases from ever seizing power in the United States and attempting to install a theocratic police state here. But the possibly is certainly terrifying.
Fortunately, there is hope, even for Iran, as the country possesses a substantial number of people, perhaps a majority, who wish to overthrow the mullahs and establish a secular, democratic state. Certainly the U.S. could do better by working to empower the more moderate elements in the country rather than propping up the anti-U.S. extremists with the saber rattling rhteoric of Bush/Cheney. The Iranian people deserve better than the mullahs and we, through diplomatic channels and political influence rather than war, need to help them get there.
 Persian Girls Just Want to have Fun ... at a Soccer Match November 11, 2007
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is an instructive peek into Iranian culture and the way women are treated in it. These rabid female soccer fans must disguise themselves as men to view a World Cup qualifying soccer match against Bahrain. Apparently women are not allowed, for a multitude of lame-oh reasons. The hypocrisy of the "rationale" of excluding women is skewered in OFFSIDE.
Too bad the ACLU can't take on the Iranian powers that be. Maybe if we could only export some lawyers to Tehran, they might be begging for mercy faster than any economic or military sanctions could leverage.
OFFSIDE scores its goal for portraying the second-class citizenship of women in Iran but also illustrates the unifying nature of sort, which can become an almost irrational source of nationalistic pride.
"Men and women aren't the same" November 3, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The phrase in the title is uttered by a soldier that is detaining women for trying to enter a stadium to watch a soccer game for the World Cup qualifier. Anyone can see that there are differences between the genders, but the most relevant question is: why should men and women have different rights? This is what the movie explores, in a country that ranks high in its level of misogyny. The film does a good job in exposing how ridiculous the argument for this kind of discrimination is, but this is all the viewer should expect, because it flows like a documentary and there is not much else.
This film will satisfy those that are interested in exploring the issue of gender discrimination in Iran, and in my opinion, it will definitely help if the viewer likes soccer. This is actually a good choice of a sport to exemplify discrimination, because the passion these women show for wanting to watch the game is entirely believable and matches reality well. I come from a country, Uruguay, in which soccer is king, as is the case in most countries in the world, so I have experienced a similar passion myself in many occasions.
This movie definitely succeeds in what it set out to do, and in that sense, it deserves praise. The only problem is that the presentation of the topic is a little dry and straightforward, and this may turn off some potential viewers quickly.
Great Film about Sexism and Soccer in Iran September 22, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This film should not only have been released in Iran, but also should be seen the world over. I watched it with a friend of mine who was born in Iran and had told me all Iranian films were dark and depressing; to our delight, this one was colorful and funny. It consists in a series of exchanges between girls passionate about soccer - but banned from seeing their home team play the game that will ultimately take them to the World Cup - and their captors, miltary policemen who share the girls' football-fever but must keep them held like cattle in a pen. The premise, of course, is a metaphor for the plight of women in Iran. But rather than take a didactic or overtly political stance, the director brings out the comedy in the situation. As the scenes unfold we see these dim-witted soldiers overrun by the young girls' determination, leaving us with a sense that these ancient Iranian rules are an emotional burden on modern Iranians, who in this case just want to band together and celebrate. The film also suggests, bravely, that perhaps the love of sport is somehow more important than devotion to ancient cultural tradition. While we in America have the luxury of bemoaning our culture's preoccupation with things like basketball and football, this film challenges us to consider that there might be something more meaningful in the ways we as people come together under the banner of our favorite teams. And that maybe that something has everything to do with fundamental human liberty.
But perhaps best of all, this film ends perfectly. The final scene is simple, powerful, and uplifting. I give it 5 out of 5.
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