Disturbed by her sister’s (Ritu Arya) rapid engagement to a man she barely knows, Ria Khan (Priya Kansara) makes it her mission to rescue her sister from matrimony…
I had no idea this movie was a thing until it popped up on the cinema listings.
And I did not realise it was made by the creator of We Are Lady Parts until the day before yesterday.
This does not happen nowadays, but this movie legitimately creeped up on me. Which is refreshing.
What a wild movie.
It is rare that a major release feels surprising but there are several times where I had no idea where Polite Society was going.
Priya Kansara is a star - she knows exactly what movie she is in, and dominates every scene she is in.
The movie around her is less fleet footed.
The film has the energy of a debut, as Mina Nazoor unleashes every stylistic flourish to put the viewer in the mind of its teenaged hero.
There are times where it becomes confusing - there is an OTT fight scene between the sisters which leaves both combatants bloodied and the house damaged - but in the next scene they are no worse for wear.
It is moments like these where it becomes hard to figure out what is real, and what is the product of Ria’s imagination.
It was not until the movie was over that I could get invested in the revelations and increased stakes of the third act.
The soundtrack is almost constant, filling the background of scenes with non-diegetic songs and sound effects. It almost feels like the filmmakers were unsure of whether the audience would understand the effect that is intended and tried to signpost it with an eagle cry or musical sting.
Someone asked me about what it was like and I have had a real problem trying to figure out what it was about Polite Society that did not sit right. I said the movie simultaneously feels too over-the-top, and not over-the-top enough.
Polite Society wants to be a wild fantastical action comedy - and a coming-of-age story about a younger sister learning to deal with major transitions (like siblings moving out and getting married).
The movie ends up trying to have its cake and eat it. The story’s resolution is somewhat surprising, but also dramatically underwhelming.
Messy and ambitious in certain respects, Polite Society is an odd beast. Check it out for Kansara’s performance.
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