Offside is that rare film about a sporting event in which the event is only rarely shown. Jafar Panahi focuses on the story of a group of women who try to sneak into the 2005 World Cup Soccer match between Iran and Bahrain because women are banned from sporting events. The women attempt a variety of male disguises as a way of getting into the stadium, but they are caught and put into a holding pen where they can only hear the game. The film itself, while extremely popular outside Iran, was also banned from being shown in that country.
While it deals with a serious subject Offside takes a comic approach to its subject as the women banter with the young soldiers who are assigned to guard them. Underneath its comic tone the film deals with the rights of women in a repressive society. These women demonstrate the strength needed to accommodate their desires to the mandates of their world. The men guarding the women have no real enthusiasm for their job, and the film exposes the comic absurdity of a society where all are trapped by stringent rules.
The film won the Silver Bear award at the Berlin film Festival and appeared on bet films of 2007 for many critics.
This program is not rated but we recommend it for adults. Offside is in Farsi with English subtitles.
General admission is $5.00; student admission $3.00. There will be a brief discussion of the film after the screening on Saturday. The Community Theatre of Terre Haute is located at the corner of 25th and Washington, 1431 S. 25th Street.