Sunday, April 01, 2007

Offside

I love when the women I play soccer with go out together. My friend Amy refers to these times as soccer team field trips. Usually our "field trips" are to a local bar, but occasionally we do something a little different. After soccer practice today, we trekked down to the Village, still decked out in our windpants and shin guards, to see Offside, a movie about a group of young women trying to see Iran play Bahrain in a World Cup match. Why are they sneaking into Azadi Stadium dressed as boys? Because Iranian women aren't allowed to go to stadiums in Iran.

Seeing this movie with the women who love soccer as much as I do was wonderful and appalling at the same time. There are so many rights that I take completely for granted. At one point, the women are talking with the soldiers who are holding them. They refer to a previous soccer match against Japan in which Japansese women were allowed to attend. However, Iranian women could not attend because they knew Persian and could understand the curse words that Iranian men might be saying during the match. And this is only one example of some of the absurdities women face there!

The movie is banned in Iran, and I doubt that many will have the opportunity to see it in America. But if it's playing near you, definitely go. And if it's not, find a manager to bug at your local theater.

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