In theatres 1st of August| @Abaton
Leila’s success is a problem for the Iranian government since it means that she may go on to face an Israeli fighter in the final. The regime sees it as humiliating for Iran to potentially lose to Israel, so decides to eliminate any possibility of this happening by ordering Leila to either withdraw under a pretext, or deliberately throw a less politically fraught match, before reaching that stage in the contest. This directive initially comes in the form of a terse phone-call with coach Maryam, but as Leila ignores this pressure and progresses further in the tournament, descends to in-person threats against family members back in Iran.
Catherine Bray in Variety
