Polite Society: Spoiler-free Review

I went to see a friend from grad school today to be her interviewee for her Multicultural class. We talked about my experience as a South Asian woman, and there was a lot to talk about, from being a second generation child, to the importance of reputation, to the food I enjoy...everything. There are so many little intricacies in our cultures that only we really know or understand. "You wouldn't get it," or "It's hard to explain," are phrases I think of when I tried to talk about it when I was young. I don't really see these intricacies outside of the community, let alone on the big screen. So when I saw there was a film in theaters that featured an almost entirely South Asian cast, I knew I just had to see it. 2021 Rose d'Or Emerging Talent winner, Nida Manzoor, takes a gender-bent family action-adventure and weaves it through a hyperbole of the South Asian experience to give us Polite Society (2023). And damn is it good. 

Manzoor gives us a London story about a spunky, determined young girl, Ria (played by Priya Kansara), who often finds herself covered in bruises by getting into fist fights. Ria has a goal that she is chasing that is not conventional to what is normally expected of South Asian people, and she is unsupported by everyone except her older sister. Lena (played by Ritu Arya) serves as a foil to Ria, being a more grounded and rational version of Ria, after Lena takes a break from art school. The story begins to unfold when Ria discovers that Lena starts going out with every South Asian girl's worst nightmare: a momma's boy. What a hilarious plot, taking what is generally seen as an ick, and turning it into a full blown action story. Like, talk about camp! I throughly enjoyed the plot, and appreciate how surprisingly human the motivations of our main character are. 

Polite Society first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where Priya Kansara was praised as a natural up-and-comer. I want to echo these accolades, as I thought Kansara easily stole the show as the front runner, and she fits well into this over-the-top British style. I hope to see more of her in the future. I also enjoyed Ritu Arya, but she I am more familiar with, with her titular role as Lila Pitts in Umbrella Academy's second and third season. I can see her being a bit type-cast, but I hope to see what else she has to offer as an actor in upcoming projects. The surprise standout was Nimra Bucha, who plays Raheela, the mother of the man Lena starts seeing. Bucha perfectly encapsulates a judgy, conniving, fake "aunty." I would totally avoid her at a party, afraid of what criticisms she would make of me, disguised as concerned commentary from a mother figure. Her portrayal was uncanny. 

I also really want to take a moment to applaud the success of the gender-bending of this film. This type of plot was most common in the 90s, for teenage boys. I loved how these characters are feminine and small, yet can really pack a punch. My favorite gender-bent trope was the bully character. We don't often get "himbo" as a woman, do we? These touches just added to the charm of this movie. 

Manzoor masterfully merges Bollywood grandeur and British wryness, making this movie unique yet digestible for all audiences. The style reminds me of films like Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), Kick-Ass (2010)and Barely Lethal (2015). Cinematographer Ashley Connor uses a goofy, dynamic style that is popular in comic book live action, which works well towards the campiness of the movie. While this is not typical camp, I think camp as a whole in film is moving more towards narrative than visual. Campy elements in an otherwise "normal" world, if you will. And while aesthetically not camp, I did really enjoyed the styling of this film. It did a great job of acknowledging the British-South Asian culture of the characters, while still making sense for the setting and action. 

I think this was a great film, and I quickly found myself concluding I will rewatch in the future, especially with South Asian friends. Representation matters, and young Ashi is so happy with how South Asian people seem to having a renaissance in film and particularly TV currently. Let's be real, there's only so many ways to tell a story, its worth making it a bit more interesting this way. Now I just hope this isn't a trend, and more creators like Manzoor tell interesting stories using their experiences as a framework rather than a source material (Yea, I will always shade Mindy Kaling).