POLITE SOCIETY is an unexpected, unhinged, and ultimately heartwarming movie about an aspiring stuntwoman determined to prevent her older sister from getting married. It plays out like a mix of a Disney Channel movie and GET OUT, with a hint of SCOTT PILGRIM thrown in. It packs a lot in its relatively brief 103-minute runtime, but what I loved most was how it constantly pushes the envelope on what I was expecting to happen.
Directed by Nida Manzoor and starring Priya Kansara and Ritu Arya as two British-Pakistani sisters, POLITE SOCIETY reminded me of how unique stories told from diverse viewpoints can be. I love when a story is told that could only be told with a cultural context that is never overly explained, trusting audiences to be open to tropes and themes that may not always be present in one society alone. It’s also just indescribably cool seeing flips and kicks done in lehengas.
We’re living in an age of maximalism, and when we look back, I hope POLITE SOCIETY is up there with EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE and THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT. More than anything, the movie is a genuinely fun time.
POLITE SOCIETY is now playing in theaters.
