Offside (2006)
85%RT Audience Score: 74%
Awards & Nominations: 5 wins & 4 nominations
A spirited film that explores gender politics with comedy, intelligence, and a variety of interesting characters
Offside is a hilarious and heartwarming film that proves soccer is truly a universal language. The movie humanizes Iranians and shows that they’re just as passionate about sports as Westerners, if not more. Director Panahi’s realist filmmaking style makes the scenes feel authentic and improvised, adding to the film’s charm. Offside is a must-watch for anyone who loves sports, comedy, and cultural inclusiveness.
Production Company(ies)
Mandeville Films, Walt Disney Pictures,
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for language throughout, and some thematic elements
Year of Release
2006
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 32m
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Language(s):Persian
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 23, 2007 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 28, 2007
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Sima Mobarakshai, Safar Samandar, Shayesteh Irani, Mohamad Kheirabadi, Aida Sadeghi, Golnaz Farmani, directed by Jafar Panahi, written by Jafar Panahi, Shadmehr Rastin, comedy, PG rating, Iranian film, gender politics, soccer, Tehran, gender restrictions, Iranian nationalism, patriotism, women’s rights, discrimination, oppression, soldiers, peephole, stadium, sports, Iranian culture, Iranian law, Iranian society, Iranian government, banned, arrested, sympathetic soldier, box office gross, budget, Sony Pictures Classics, DTS sound mix, reviewed by Carrie Rickey, John Monaghan, Marrit Ingman, Bruce Westbrook, Bill Muller, Ann Hornaday, Ruhaan Shah, Josh Larsen, Fernando F Croce, Sam Jordison
Worldwide gross: $561,692
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $828,303
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,639
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 90,327
US/Canada gross: $180,530
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $266,220
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,487
US/Canada opening weekend: $18,003
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $26,548
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,414
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $2,500
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $3,687
Production budget ranking: 2,159
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,985
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $822,631
ROI to date (est.): 14,504%
ROI ranking: 6
Safar Samandar – Soldier From Azerbaijan
Shayesteh Irani – Smoking Girl
Mohamad Kheirabadi – Soldier from Mashad
Aida Sadeghi – Soccer Girl
Golnaz Farmani – Girl With Tchador
Director(s)
Jafar Panahi
Writer(s)
Jafar Panahi, Shadmehr Rastin
Producer(s)
Jafar Panahi
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
5 wins & 4 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (84) | Top Critics (35) | Fresh (79) | Rotten (5)
Exhilarating, exuberant and drolly funny.
August 4, 2007 | Rating: 3.5/4
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
The rare Iranian film that is not only thoughtful and thought-provoking but also a lot of fun.
June 15, 2007 | Rating: 3/4
John Monaghan
Detroit Free Press
TOP CRITIC
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.
June 8, 2007 | Rating: 4/5
Marrit Ingman
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Offside is a slow slog through bloated scenes with little happening. Framed and shot like a crude documentary, it proceeds in long, clunky takes, as if an editor couldn’t be bothered.
May 18, 2007 | Rating: 1.5/5
Bruce Westbrook
Houston Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Humanizes the Iranians and shows that they’re just as crazy about their sports as Westerners, if not more. If anything, it proves that soccer is truly an international language, providing an arena where anyone can communicate.
May 18, 2007 | Rating: 3.5/5
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic
TOP CRITIC
[Director] Panahi has perfected the art of realist filmmaking, here turning his camera on scenes that seem more improvised or captured on the fly than staged.
May 10, 2007
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Panahi interweaves their anxiety with the relatable urgency of watching a game.
May 16, 2020
Ruhaan Shah
Film Companion
…reveals pockets of empathy existing in defiance of Iran’s oppressive regime.
September 4, 2012 | Rating: 3.5/4
Josh Larsen
LarsenOnFilm
Posits an exhilarating, ephemeral sense of cultural inclusiveness
August 27, 2009
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion
Another no-frills success from one of Iran’s most accessible directors.
August 3, 2008
Sam Jordison
Film4
Engaging, insightful, and crowd-pleasing comedy sports drama.
September 28, 2007 | Rating: A-
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
A plea for cultural evolution that doesn’t point fingers, instead only hoping that the next generations will wake up and take the sensible steps towards the future.
September 13, 2007 | Rating: 8/10
Jeffrey Chen
Window to the Movies…
Plot
Tehran, and possibly the whole of Iran, is galvanised by a match to be played at the Azadi stadium between Bahrain and Iran, the victor of which will qualify for the World Cup. Although women are banned from watching, a number of them, undeterred, attempt to buy tickets and enter disguised as men. Funny and fierce in equal measure Offside was filmed during the actual Iran versus Bahrain match in Tehran in 2005.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing to add here about Offside.
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