Tatami

... to fight? No parties to be found here (well political ones maybe) ... so no pun intended as always. I read a bit after I watched the movie and it seems this is not a real story overall, but the gist of it, the main points it brings across ... well they are more than true. Even more so for the trainer actress/character ... who seems to have had trouble with her country ... never a nice feeling if you want to call it that.

It it quite harrowing to really want to keep your spirits up ... to want to succeed for your country ... and the country constantly failing you ... more than that to be honest ... but you have to watch this quite harrowing movie to get what it does ... and where it goes ... the human will never dies ... but it can break .. will it happen here? And what does it mean for freedom and choosing your own destiny ... this is powerful stuff ... and it does not take prisoners ... literally ... well sort of. Well worth a watch to say the least.

This is determination: you're competing in the World Judo Championships. You go to the weigh-in and find you're .3 kg over. Leila Hosseini (Arienne Mandi), the Iranian national champion, has 20 minutes to lose the extra weight. By pedaling furiously on a stationary bike, she manages that, plus a few additional ounces. The National Team's coach, Ms. Maryam Ghanbari (Zar Amir), has been in Leila's corner for years, pushing her successfully onward, and looks on proudly.

At the start of the third match, the Iranian Judo Association phones Ghanbari and orders her to have Hosseini throw her next fight. The political implications that she might possibly face the Israeli opponent, her friend, and lose to her in the finals, would disgrace Iran and the Supreme Leader won't stand for that.

Hosseini stands her ground. She's adamant that she deserves to win a gold medal, for herself, her family and her country. Yet she fears disobeying because it will certainly endanger her entire family.

Ghanbari has personally been down this road before, having her life controlled by the Islamic government. She's wound tightly, always touching her hijab, nervously checking to make sure not a single stray hair protrudes. The Supreme Leader of Iran goes so far as having Ghanbari's mother call to insist she tell Hosseini throw the match. This is what living under an oppressive regime means - total control.

Tatami is more than a movie about judo - it's a complex political thriller about facing down an insidious, oppressive government and saying 'no more'. Fighting for your life. Finding support when it's most needed, from like-minded individuals. The photography and lighting are used evocatively. Shot in black and white, the camera gets right into the faces, hands and feet of the combatants. The purposely ironic scripting of the commentator's observations mirrors the life-defining choices made by Hosseini.

The first feature film co-directed by Iranian and Israeli filmmakers Guy Nattiv and Zar Amir Ebrahimi, and an official selection of several international film festivals, Tatami is showing in select theaters.

I recommend viewers after the film to go to Wikipedia and read about the reality of the real life of the actress who wonderfully portrays the coach Amir Zar Ebrahimi, and also co-director with Guy Nativ in this film. It can be said that the judoka in the film tells the story of her own experiences after she was forced to flee Iran at the last minute to France, after the authorities wanted to imprison her for 6 years, 99 lashes, and a ban on working as an actress in the country, because of her alleged sex tape that was leaked to the net. The film accurately depicts reality The insanity of a country, which also pushes its sports into a corner through mental and physical pressure, as happened to the athlete who dared to compete without a head covering and "disappeared". The film is a message to the degenerate and hypocritical world of who Iran is since the Islamic revolution, what is the fate of women in the country and how at the end of the day They look to the side and do not help the women there.

Long moments at the start of the movie are spent showing a bus ride. I think the idea is to set the bar low where thrills are concerned. The photography is in black and white, the aspect ratio is not wide, and for most of the movie everything is in shadows. Very dark, at least as screened at my local theater.

And there are only two major characters. One is a serious athlete out to follow her dream at all costs, even if her family life suffers somewhat. The motif is familiar from any number of biopics, but here it's overlaid by another priority that the athlete defies: She's Iranian and she dares to disobey her government. Her courage is a big element of the movie, so there's a second character, her trainer, who embodies the conflict, wondering what the right thing to do really is.

The sport involved is judo, and the heroine is being asked to take a fall in order not to have to compete against an Israeli. Something like that actually happened, but this isn't a retelling of the actual story. It might have more impact if it were, because as is the movie is incessantly telling us how evil an authoritarian government is from the writer's point of view, rather than letting us figure it out from true-life facts.

A judo match, however you photograph it, is unfortunately not easy to follow. The movie provides a sports commentator on the scene, whose voice-over helps us out somewhat. A mystery I never did solve is the timing of the dreaded match against the Israeli. The Iranians pressure their contestant as if it's coming up right away, but it turns out not to be the next match. How are these things decided? If you never know when your opponent is going to be an Israeli, why did the Iranians send her to the competition in the first place?

Before you can think too much about that, though, the movie sweeps you along-- as relentless as its heroine. And if there are no blue skies or comic relief or rooftop chases, you don't miss them.

"Tatami" is a compelling and emotionally charged drama that manages to deliver both a strong personal story and a quietly intense political message. Set within the competitive world of judo, the film uses the sport as a backdrop to explore themes of identity, pressure, and silent resistance.

What makes this movie stand out is its grounded realism-both in the visual style and the emotional performances. The direction is tight, often using close shots and a limited color palette to create a sense of confinement and tension, reflecting the protagonist's inner turmoil. The lead performance is especially gripping, conveying so much with restraint and subtle expressions.

The story never tries to oversell its message, and yet it hits hard when it needs to. Some parts may feel a bit slow, but that pacing works in favor of the quiet pressure building throughout the film.

"Tatami" is a thoughtful, nuanced film that speaks volumes with silence. A strong piece of cinema that leaves a lasting impression.