‘Polite Society Review: BritishPakistani Teen Takes Down Tradition In Wild, Witty Action Comedy

The teenage protagonist of Polite Society has more energy than she knows how to handle, just like in the movie she's in.

From writer/director Nida Mansour, creator of the popular We Are Lady Parts series, the debut feature is a daring masterpiece that represents new talent eager to bring new ideas to cinema. Admittedly, there's nothing quite right about this uproarious comedy, which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival before hitting Focus theaters in April. But while the ambitious film pushes the envelope, you can't wait to see what happens next.

A lot happens in this story that revolves around Ria (Priya Kansara), a British-Pakistani who dreams of becoming a stuntwoman like the idol you've always heard of (illustrated by photos taken by famous British stuntwoman Eunice Huttart). Writes letters. . served as the movie's soundtrack. Ryo is also a fan of martial arts, but misjudges the distance as he gets into violent physical fights with bullies at school. Get into a violent pose and say, "I'm angry!" chanting the slogan. (Why isn't that the title of the movie?) He and his older sister, Lina (Ritu Arya, Umbrella Academy ) create videos for subscribers to their YouTube channel as a videographer.

Back home after dropping out of art school, Ria and Leena's close relationship is threatened when they join their supportive parents (Shobu Kapoor, Jeff Mirza) at a holiday party marking the end of Ramadan. Leena falls romantically under the spell of Saleem (Akshaye Khanna), a handsome doctor with perfect teeth, a chiseled physique and lavish wealth who would play the role of the perfect gentleman in romance novels. When Leena tells her older sister that she intends to marry Salim and move to Singapore with him, Riya is dismayed that the older sister, whom she has always admired, has given up on her artistic dreams.

- So, have you read Jane Austen? Ria asked bitterly.

Rhea's determination to prevent her sister from making a life-altering mistake leads to increasingly bizarre comedic episodes, starting with her and her loyal friends (Serafina Bee and Ella Brucheri, both adorable) infiltrating a men's gym named Rhea with a bushy mustache. This makes Yosemite Sam jealous and he steals his laptop, hoping to find incriminating evidence. But her attempts to discredit Salem always fail, ultimately angering her domineering mother (the Ms. Marvel book Nimra, which is both funny and sinister), who seeks revenge by inflicting painful wax on her leg to torture Ryo.

From there, the plot gets even more insane and eventually shifts into a horror/sci-fi mode that doesn't really work, even though the story was crazy beforehand. But it's easy to forgive such mistakes thanks to Mansour's delightfully sarcastic approach, which shows enthusiasm for the many literary and cinematic genres they attempt to explore. (The film is divided into “chapters,” beginning with “A Tale of Two Sisters” and “Holiday Evening.”) The clever humor is often enlivened by good cuts from Robbie Morrison.

The movie also has a real revelation in newcomer Kansara, who plays with a physical passion and manic, unbridled energy that makes you sympathize with Ria at her worst. Even if a character falls flat on its face, there is no doubt that it will come back and win in the end. Also polite company .