Tis Me Michelle

Along with a bunch of new food reviews from my latest trip, I have a few movie reviews too. If there’s a good selection of in-flight entertainment, I’m set. If we are being honest, I don’t remember what I watched on the way to Amsterdam. I don’t recall there were a whole lot of options, especially things I had not seen before. I think I watched one and fell asleep watching the others. On the way back though I watched a few!

First up was the Polite Society. I remember seeing trailers for it before it came out, but then it just came and went without me hearing anything about it. And to be honest, my memory of what this movie was about was so totally off base. For whatever reason, I thought this movie was about a brown girl who was a vigilante. I suppose there is a slight tinge of that.

This movie follows Ria aka “The Fury”, who’s a teenage British-Pakistani girl who loves martial arts. Her dream is to become a stunt person. She’s honestly such a great lead character. The closest movie I got in the mainstream with a brown female lead was Bend it Like Beckham, which you know isn’t a bad movie, but it didn’t really do it for me either. Ria however has the confidence I wish I had, she has her own YouTube channel showcasing her stunt skills, takes martial arts classes, and is focused. And maybe a bit delusional. But you kind of need some of that to make your dreams come true. Even a bit cringy at times, but I like a lovable lead who isn’t perfect or mainstream ‘cool’.

What I love is that she goes for what she wants, and the movie highlights the Pakistani traditional values, which aren’t too far off from the Indian traditions. Her older sister, Lena, similarly went to art school, but dropped out and came back home. Lena is in a depression, and Ria is trying to get her out of the rut and believes in her. It’s clear the family was happy that Lena let go of art, but for Ria it’s a stepping stone, showing her that if her older sister can follow and reach her dreams, she can too. I truly loved the sisterly bond and connection in the movie.

In the middle of this depressive state, their mom is invited to this very popular aunty’s house for a party and both girls are forced to attend. It becomes pretty obvious this party is a setup to find a match for this aunty’s son. Ria is not here for it. Lena on the other hand may have just found herself a beau. Ria is definitely not here for that, she wants her sister to get back to her art. From here we follow Ria trying to figure out how to get her sister out of this love trance. She’s trying everything and everything, trying to dig up dirt on the guy… But what she learns is more than she could have ever bargained for.

Honestly, I loved that this wasn’t what I expected. It was a fun watch. Along with being a confident brown lead, she’s also funny, weird, and a total delight. I appreciated the British humor. Since she’s a martial arts lover, there were a bunch of fight scenes. These were both cool and cringe at the same time, but I kind of think it was intentional? And ultimately a story of sisterhood, following your gut and dreams. I totally recommend this watch!

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️