Offside

PG

Released Mar 23, 2007

1h 32m

Comedy

List

94%

Tomatometer

85 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Since women are banned from soccer matches, Iranian females masquerade as males so they can slip into Tehran's stadium to see the game between Iran and Bahrain. The ones who are caught and arrested are taken to a holding area and guarded by soldiers. One sympathetic soldier agrees to watch the game through a peephole and recount the action to the impatient fans.

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Critics Consensus

A spirited film that explores gender politics with comedy, intelligence, and a variety of interesting characters.

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Carrie Rickey

Philadelphia Inquirer

Exhilarating, exuberant and drolly funny.

Rated: 3.5/4

Aug 4, 2007

Full Review

John Monaghan

Detroit Free Press

The rare Iranian film that is not only thoughtful and thought-provoking but also a lot of fun.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 15, 2007

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Marrit Ingman

Austin Chronicle

Its ruminations on secular Iranian nationalism are effectively couched within the characters, and the film, which won the Berlin Film Festival's Silver Bear but is banned in Iran, has a refreshing slyness to it, as if it's getting away with something too.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 8, 2007

Full Review

Rachel Wagner

Rachel's Reviews (YouTube)

It's frustrating that anyone can't just watch football in a stadium but a gripping film

Dec 17, 2023

Full Review

Noah Gittell

Washington City Paper

It’s a rich text: a love letter to the people of Iran, a fiercely complex portrayal of systemic misogyny, and a plea to Western countries not to judge the Iranian people by their government.

Feb 4, 2023

Full Review

Ruhaan Shah

Film Companion

Panahi interweaves their anxiety with the relatable urgency of watching a game.

May 16, 2020

Full Review

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Gerardo C

Lovely film that plays around sensible subjects yet does it in the brightest manner. One can feel the love people put in this film and cheers for the characters like a football fan.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/03/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Panahi's guerilla filmmaking (during an actual football match no less) occasionally borders on documentary and gives "Offside" its authenticity, but also deprives it of a more cinematic quality. The importance of the message goes without saying, and it's underlined even further by the gradual change in the soldiers' stance. However, despite a few stand-out moments, the directorial style (or absence thereof), scant script and amateur acting are definitely limiting.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

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Audience Member

Almost a documentary, the movie is more important by its social issues than for its cinematographical values.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

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Audience Member

Not a great movie, lots of holes throughout the plot. Extremely misleading and various pointless scenes in which had no relevance to the movie what so ever. Critics who gave this a 94% shouldn't be reviewing movies

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

filippo v

Con una grande abilità nel mantenere sullo stesso piano tutti i personaggi, questo film iraniano riesce a comunicare il messaggio con grande trasparenza e realismo. Anche se avrei preferito dei mezzi più intelligenti e meno diretti, l'anima che sta alla base del film è totalmente apprezzabile.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Director Jafar Panahi walks the line between fact and fiction with such skill that it is difficult to tell where fact ends and fiction begins. With Offside, he has made a film that is both a disparaging critique of the ban that prevents Iranian women from attending men's sporting events and therefore participating actively in national pride and a celebration of the women who dare to attend anyways. With parts of the film shot during an actual World Cup qualifying match, Offside feels like a documentary, even as the action that unfolds has to have been staged. You feel every moment with the women who have been caught sneaking into the game as they desperately try to catch glimpses of the match. It is amazing to watch their pride for their country, and their determination to show their nationalism, even as their country tries to prevent their participation.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

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Jafar Panahi

Director

Sima Mobarakshai

First Girl

Safar Samandar

Soldier From Azerbaijan

Shayesteh Irani

Smoking Girl

Mohamad Kheirabadi

Soldier from Mashad

Aida Sadeghi

Soccer Girl

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Synopsis

Since women are banned from soccer matches, Iranian females masquerade as males so they can slip into Tehran's stadium to see the game between Iran and Bahrain. The ones who are caught and arrested are taken to a holding area and guarded by soldiers. One sympathetic soldier agrees to watch the game through a peephole and recount the action to the impatient fans.

Director: Jafar Panahi
Producer: Jafar Panahi
Screenwriter: Jafar Panahi, Shadmehr Rastin
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Rating: PG (Some Thematic Elements|Language Throughout)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: Persian
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 23, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 30, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $179.9K
Runtime: 1h 32m
Sound Mix: DTS

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