Synopsis
Persian with English subtitles.
With Baran Kosari, Amir Jadidi, Sahar Dowlatshahi, Leili Rashidi, Hoda Zeinolabedin, Abbas Moosavi, Maryam Sarmadi, Sogand Soleimani
Afrooz is the captain of the Iran Futsal National Team, whose long-sought dream of playing in the Asian Games Final came true at age 30 and after 11 years of hard work. She finds out at the airport that her husband, a famous television host, has used his legal right and banned her from exiting the country. The team’s security supervisor, her lawyer, her best friend, and her teammates all believe that her only solution is to persuade her husband to let her leave the country. Although Afrooz knows she must break her pride and waive her own right by doing so, she decides to convince him in any way possible.
“Cold Sweat” is the story of capable and distinguished women who stand up for their rights and fight against the archaic laws that govern their country.
Press
“Cold Sweat reveals how much Afrooz may be fighting a losing battle: She’s a powerhouse in futsal, but in real life, her anger and audacity can only take her so far. Like many Iranian films of late, this one depicts a society plighted by inertia and helplessness, especially for women treated as less than equal by the law. Even for a star athlete — and one has brought honor to her country — victory is forever out of reach.” – Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter
“This intelligently written, well performed and emotionally rewarding second feature by writer-director Soheil Beiraghi (Me) will enlighten and entertain audiences everywhere.” – Richard Kuipers, Variety
Notes on the Film
“I met a futsal soccer player girl who was a crucial player in the national team, but her husband banned her from exiting the country before the world tournament and her name was crossed out from the national team. Later, the same happened to women athletes in various sports many times, but they were forgotten due to the media’s silence.
I saw her again although she had been eliminated everywhere, she was training young players vigorously. She never talked to me about her grief and wasn’t sorry about her divorce. The story of these women never left me alone and I was determined to make a film about them. After a few months of research and a year and a half of writing the screenplay, I made a film about great women whose husbands made their worlds small.”
– Soheil Beiraghi, Director
