Break The Social Barriers In Barmak, And Offside
Break the Social Barriers
In Iranian and Afghan society, women are faced with many social barriers and standards. In a more traditional family, men are crucial for the correct functioning of a family as they are characterized as the main providers of the family. Women as presented in the movies Baran (2002) by Majid Majidi,Osama (2003) by Siddiq Barmak, and Offside (2007) by Jafar Panahi, are not able to exercise the same privileges due to historical circumstances and patriarchal codes. Rebellious cross-dressing is the tool female characters in these film use to show the unnaturalness and the of these patriarchal codes. …show more content…
Throughout the three films, the female characters demonstrate a level of childishness and youthfulness. In Baran, Baran is at the construction site and is feeding a flock of pigeons. This scene encapsulated the purity that exists within her, and how she remains childish even though she has vital responsibilities such as being the family breadwinner. We see a similar scene of childhood innocence in Osama, where she is imprisoned after her true identity is revealed on front of the religious school for boys. While she is imprisoned, she plays with a jump rope. Jump roping is usually an activity associated with one’s childhood. Therefore, Baran jump roping exemplifies how she still remains childish even while she is undergoing a terrifying situation at such a young age. Offside portrays teen girls who are older than Osama and Baran, but even their actions convey a sense of purity and childlessness that is experienced during one’s youth. Similar to Osama, the girls in Offside show a very childish side of themselves while they are being imprisoned. At one point in the movie, the girls start to play their own version of soccer within the confined space they are put into. They also behave very immaturely with the guards which again shows how childish they remain even during dangerous situations. The ability to remain intact with their youthfulness while they rebel against patriarchal codes illustrates how audacious and courageous they are for being able to cross-dress even after acknowledging the dangers of their
In Iranian and Afghan society, women are faced with many social barriers and standards. In a more traditional family, men are crucial for the correct functioning of a family as they are characterized as the main providers of the family. Women as presented in the movies Baran (2002) by Majid Majidi,Osama (2003) by Siddiq Barmak, and Offside (2007) by Jafar Panahi, are not able to exercise the same privileges due to historical circumstances and patriarchal codes. Rebellious cross-dressing is the tool female characters in these film use to show the unnaturalness and the of these patriarchal codes. …show more content…
Throughout the three films, the female characters demonstrate a level of childishness and youthfulness. In Baran, Baran is at the construction site and is feeding a flock of pigeons. This scene encapsulated the purity that exists within her, and how she remains childish even though she has vital responsibilities such as being the family breadwinner. We see a similar scene of childhood innocence in Osama, where she is imprisoned after her true identity is revealed on front of the religious school for boys. While she is imprisoned, she plays with a jump rope. Jump roping is usually an activity associated with one’s childhood. Therefore, Baran jump roping exemplifies how she still remains childish even while she is undergoing a terrifying situation at such a young age. Offside portrays teen girls who are older than Osama and Baran, but even their actions convey a sense of purity and childlessness that is experienced during one’s youth. Similar to Osama, the girls in Offside show a very childish side of themselves while they are being imprisoned. At one point in the movie, the girls start to play their own version of soccer within the confined space they are put into. They also behave very immaturely with the guards which again shows how childish they remain even during dangerous situations. The ability to remain intact with their youthfulness while they rebel against patriarchal codes illustrates how audacious and courageous they are for being able to cross-dress even after acknowledging the dangers of their