Walking through one busy day for a young Iranian girl smuggling herself into her country's most important soccer match comes across with decidedly mixed results. Despite hardly a second of actual soccer footage focused on, Offside could very well be in the running for best film covering the subject. Deciding to film during the actual match was a brilliant idea, giving some sequences the textured realism they need to flourish. The movie starts out strongest, offering it's most palpable scenes during the first twenty minutes documenting the girl's journey to the stadium. I must admit however, after this impressive intro things fall into a downward lull. Much of the movie takes place in a single location and Panahi simply does not have the depth to cover these scenes in a truly captivating way. Likewise, a few of the film's later sequences felt stretched out a bit. Regardless, this is still a worthwhile watch, if nothing for it's fleeting moments of ethical clarity amidst an occasionally well-exploited set piece.
Review of Offside
