• Tatami

10/29/23 (Sun), Tokyo Film Festival

A female judoka from Iran has a good shot at winning the gold at the world championships in Tbilisi, achieving the dream to which she has devoted her life. Blessed with size, strength, technique and deep determination, she quickly disposes of her opponents in what seems an unstoppable path to the finals and glory for her and her country. Things change dramatically, however, when it looks as if she might face an Israeli opponent in the finals. She comes under intense pressure from her government to throw the match, including threats to her family and her future. A fan asking for a selfie proves a government agent who shows her in a video that her father back home has been taken into custody. Her coach, warned by the government that she too will lose everything if she does not stop her protégé, tries desperately to persuade the girl to give up her ambitions and bow to reality, creating a serious rift between them. The coach herself, a former star, is known to have suffered an injury years earlier just before a big match against an Israeli that might have made her a world champion – but the judoka now comes to wonder if that was really an injury. The judoka reaches her own decision, and events spin out in an unexpected way.

This superb Israeli-Iranian co-production (you read that right), playing at the Tokyo Film Festival, is less a sports film than a thrilling suspense story set in the Japanese world of judo. While fictional, it is based on several true-life incidents for Iranians in various sports, most memorably male judoka Saeid Mollaei, whose experiences with Iranian officials frighteningly parallel events here that might have otherwise seemed over the top. The pacing was terrific, with the main story occurring over the course of a single day; the ticking clock ratchets up the tension tremendously. (I’m not sure if athletes actually face this many matches in one day, but we’ll chalk that up to poetic license.) The scenes on the mat were interspersed with video calls back to her cheering family watching back in Tehran and interactions with a concerned judo official, all of which help heighten the stakes. The outcome of the battle came as a surprise, with an added ironic twist afterwards. I could have done without the flashbacks of the judoka as daughter, wife and mother, and the story lapses into a somewhat sentimental ending. The script also becomes a bit too talky; we understand the issues without having to be told. Judicious cutting might have helped. But that’s a quibble; overall the story is taut and lean.

Jaime Ray Newman, who plays the judo official, said in a post-film talk that the director Guy Nattiv — who is also her husband — chose this particular sport because of its huge popularity in both Israel and Iran as well as the respect that athletes show each other before and after their bouts. As with all Japanese sports, judoka keep their emotions to themselves, whether joy or frustration, to preserve the dignity of all involved. I assume that the title, referring to the soft woven mat used for bouts (among other uses), represents a neutral territory where everyone is human before anything else. The actress also noted that the film was made in the nation of Georgia in utter secrecy – no publicity, conversation only in English, etc. – specifically to protect the Iranian staff, which is telling in itself. The movie was apparently filmed last year long before the present troubles in Israel (which prevented the director from appearing today as scheduled), but its timing turns out to be perfect.

She noted as well that after Nattiv recruited Zar Amir Ebrahimi as the coach (and casting director), he insisted that she co-direct the film to give a more female and Iranian perspective. I’m not sure how those duties were split, but the results were seamless, maintaining the tension throughout the tournament and beyond. The acting was expert all around, especially Arienne Mandi in a strong showing as the resolute judoka, a fantastic Ebrahimi (who won Best Actress at the festival – another Iranian, as it happens, won Best Actor for a separate film) and Newman.

I hope that the film, which won the Jury Award, will soon be history like Cold War movies, a mere record of a sad past. Still, aside from its politics, it’s a fine film on its own and a tremendous addition to the sports film genre. This is only the film’s second appearance after its debut at the Venice Film Festival (where it also won an award), but it won’t be the last. Hoping for big things. A big thumbs up.