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.

What makes 'Tatami' so captivating? It is an efficient thriller and intimately connects us with the main character.

A THRILLER SHOT LIKE A TRAGEDY

The movie follows the rules of classic tragedy:

• Unity of time: all actions occur in less than 24 hours, except the epilogue a year later and the flashbacks of course;
• Unity of space: the plot is mainly located in the Dojo of the World Championships. When we see the family in Iran, they are interacting by phone with Leila on site, with very few exceptions;
• Unity of action: the two stories, namely the competition and pressure from the regime, are closely intertwined.

• The World Judo Association (WJA) does not exist, it is the International Judo Federation (IJF). Senior officials would not get involved so directly and at such short notice.-
• No Judo World Championships were ever staged in Tbilisi, where the film was shot: the actual environment (Dojo and streets of the city) is more important than historical accuracy.-
• The IJF does not allow wearing a hijab (headscarf) on the tatami for safety reasons, contrarily to some national or regional organisations; wearing a bonnet has occasionally been tolerated. This is bypassed by the movie in order to illustrate the clothing norms imposed to Iranian women: it provides a general dimension to the specific plot.-
• The rhythm of the competition is on the fast side. The World Championships are indeed held in one day for each weight category, with a maximum of 6 combats from round of 64 to the final. However they spread over hours to allow Judokas to recover from the effort and potential wounds, whilst the movie action almost seems to be in real time.-
• The fights are purposefully dramatized. Some techniques are practically unseen at this level, for instance Tomoe Nage for those who know Judo (the "attacker" falls on her back and projects the opponent over her), which a world-class Judoka could easily counter.-
• The Iranian federation and pundits react much too quickly to Leila's success: they intervene at the beginning of the competition, whilst it is absolutely not certain she will face the Israeli Judoka in the final. Actually related instructions would have been given ahead of the competition, but this would not have enabled the dramatic build-up.

• The image is generally dark with many shadows, echoing the feelings of the two main characters. The backgrounds are especially sombre, illustrating the looming threats.-
• Most of the action occurs inside and when it does not, exterior scenes are obscure: the overall sensation is claustrophobic and oppressive.-
• The above-mentioned narrow format of 1.33 increases this feeling of confinement.-
• The grain of the film is rather thick, as opposed to the usual smooth texture nowadays. It is as if we were touching the rugged Judogi uniform (improperly called "kimono") worn by the athletes, feeling the dense atmosphere, smelling the sweaty environment.-
• The fights are frequently shown close or very close, with fast camera movements and quick editing: we are on the tatami with Leila.-
• There are subjective shots where we see through Leila's eyes, for instance when her vision is blurred in the last combat.-
• All flashbacks are related to Leila: we visualise them with her. Some are intimate: a nude scene in bed with her husband, a sweet scene with her son in his bed. We follow her train of thoughts: the photograph flashes before a round evoke a powerful scene where she dances with her husband, among stroboscopic lights in a clandestine club (since her hair is loose).-

• Saeid Mollaei, an Iranian male Judoka who was ordered to lose during the 2019 World Championships to avoid facing an Israeli in the final;
• Elnaz Rekabi, an Iranian female climber who appeared without hijab during the 2022 Asian Championships;
• Kimia Alizadeh, an Iranian female taekwondo athlete, who defected in 2020.

Tatami is a film that feels special.

Tatami is about an Iranian judoka that participates in world champion ship in Tbilisi, Georgia. As she comes further into the competition the Iranian government becomes worried that she might need to fight against an Israeli judoka. This forms a challenge for her does she choose her sport and passion or her country and safety.

As the film started I noticed immediately that it was in black and white (which is hard not to notice I must admit), i was scared for the film about this choice. A film can thrive in the simpleness that black and white brings but can also destroy it if the story isn't strong enough. For Tatami it thankfully it was the first, the black and white made the story the centre in the film. Making you not distracted by anything else and keeping you in a hold that judoka would perform on you. It kept you on your toes as you were constantly wondering what would happen next. It helped that the whole story basically took place on one day, making it not drawn out.

The acting was good but could be better. The acting felt a bit over acted at times which made you lose your attention, from what was happening.

In the end I would highly recommend this film to anyone. You will regret it if you don't watch this political personal drama.

8.