Polite Society
A merry mash up of sisterly affection, parental disappointment and bold action, Polite Society follows martial artist-in-training Ria Khan who believes she must save her older sister Lena from her impending marriage. After enlisting the help of her friends, Ria attempts to pull off the most ambitious of all wedding heists in the name of independence and sisterhood.
-Synopsis (Focus Features)
Are you a fan of the (genre-defying) indie hit Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) directed by the Daniels? Then, THIS is the next film (written/directed by a young woman- Nida Manzoor) is for you! Polite Society is an unique blend of action (incl. martial arts) and comedy w/ domestic drama and horror elements mixed in. A modern-day British Pakistani teen, Ria (Priya Kansara), aspires to be a stuntwoman like her idol Eunice Huthart (recently a stunt coordinator on Star Wars and Marvel movies IRL). Her parents, teachers, and peers are skeptical about her ambition. However, Ria is supported by her older sister, Lena (Ritu Arya), who left art school and is back home wondering what to do next. In their community of British Asians, there is a wealthy woman w/ a (single/doctor) son named Salim; when he meets Lena, they quickly hit it off. Ria is NOT so happy to see her sis dating (and maybe falling for) this man.
Joyland
The youngest son in a traditional Pakistani family takes a job as a backup dancer in a Bollywood-style burlesque and quickly becomes infatuated with the strong-willed trans woman who runs the show.
-Synopsis
I heard re: this film while watching the Independent Spirit Awards (which streamed on YT this Spring). The young director/co-writer, Saim Siddiq, was applauded for Joyland (his 1st feature film). The movie was originally banned in Pakistan, but the censors later cleared it; a ban remains in Punjab, (where the story is set). During an interview at Cannes w/ an Indian film critic, Siddiq said that he edited parts out for his native country: “though most directors would not allow it, I wanted this to be seen by a broad audience.” The film got an 8 min. long standing ovation at Cannes. It is Pakistan’s submission to the 95th Academy Awards. As one of the programmers at TIFF (a Canadian Indian young man) commented, this is “a story of family, desire, and who gets to express that desire.” It is the type of restrained story that is rare to see today; there isn’t much music (therefore no pushing to elicit emotions from the audience). Siddiq chose to use silence a LOT, as he felt that was more powerful.
In modern-day Lahore, a quiet/unassuming young man, Haider (Ali Junejo), serves the (unofficial) caretaker in his “joint family.” At first, you may think of him as a bystander in his own life. His wife, Mumtaz (Rasti Farooq- close friend/classmate of Siddiq), works at a beauty salon. The head of the household is Haider’s elderly father; he is a widower who uses a wheelchair. Haider’s older brother (Saleem) and his wife (Nucchi) have 3 young daughters; they’re expecting another baby soon (perhaps a son). After several yrs. w/o a job, Haider gets an interview at an “erotic theatre” (part of an amusement park- “Joyland”). A confident/fast-talking trans woman, Biba (Alina Khan), is one of the dancers; she also choreographs the routines. Biba needs 6 men to be her back-up dancers; Haider is NOT naturally a dancer, BUT the pay is V good.