Polite Society

What with Rye Lane and Missing, it’s a particularly strong year (or, for us, term!) for directors making their feature debuts. The same goes for Nida Manzoor here, who made a name for herself creating the TV series We Are Lady Parts–a sitcom about a Muslim female punk band. This sort of anarchic and pointed genre-bending should prepare you for Polite Society, an irreverent comedy about negotiating family and cultural expectations… with some martial arts thrown in for good measure.

Newcomer Priya Kansara, already receiving acclaim for her role here, is Ria; the younger sibling of a London-Pakistani family who dreams of being a pro stuntwoman. The film zings with comedy in its early stretches as these girlboss ambitions are contrasted with her sister Lena, who drops out of art school in order to commit to her engagement: to Ria’s dismay, naturally. Soon, it looks to take turns for the dramatic and action-packed, as Ria’s dreams are put to the test. But this boisterous up-and-comer promises to be a blast of energy and fun, putting a fresh spin on the coming-of-age formula.