Smashing the patriarchy with fists of fury and satire
There is so much I wish I could tell you about “Polite Society,” but spoiler laws prohibit me from being more than vague. Besides, I want you to be as surprised as I was when I figured out what was going on in writerdirector Nida Manzoor’s feature debut. This is a movie where you’ll say, “What the hell did I just watch?” while simultaneously being glad you saw it.
So here’s all you’re going to get from me: “Polite Society” is a tale of smashing the patriarchy through martial arts and a bit of science fiction, featuring gorgeously shot scenes of action, comedy, and outright terror.
OK, I suppose I can tell you a little more, if you promise to keep this between us.
Have you ever had one of those dreams where you just know something is terribly wrong, but nobody will believe you? Well, Ria Khan (Priya Kansara) is living that nightmare. Her older sister, Lena (Ritu Arya), is not only getting married, she’s giving up art school to become a stay-at-home wife. When she leaves, who will help Ria with the martial arts videos she makes in their backyard — the ones she believes could help her become a professional stunt woman like her idol, real-life stuntwoman Eunice Huthart?
Ria thinks her sister is in grave danger, primarily because Raheela Shah (Nimra Bucha), the matriarch of the family Lena is marrying into, is one creepy lady. Shah is not above making sinister threats toward Ria, and she appears to be far more skilled in the art of fighting than her prim and proper façade indicates.
Additionally, Ria finds the way Lena got involved with her fiancé, Salim (Akshay Khanna), to be really distasteful. In one of the “chapters” of this film (it’s broken into sections with helpful title cards), the Shahs invite all eligible women to a fancy party where it’s discovered that the soirée is just a front for Salim to choose a wife. The ruse backfires because the initially uninterested Lena suddenly takes a genuine interest in Salim. Their courtship unfolds naturally.
At least that’s what it looks like on the surface. Ria is convinced that not only does Lena not want to be married, the Shahs also have a disturbing plan for her once she’s hitched.
Salim is a mama’s boy to the extreme (warning sign!) and his mama is way too protective (even bigger warning sign!).
Unfortunately, Ria can’t put her finger on exactly what the Shahs are planning. Her uncertainty leads to a series of very funny missions where she and her faithful friends Clara (Seraphina Beh) and Alba (Ella Bruccoleri) spy on the preternaturally perfect Salim as he goes about his daily chores.
Manzoor’s very clever script assures us that everything is on the level, and even the worst things Ria finds out about Salim can be explained away with logic or apology. We become convinced that Ria’s suspicions are all in her mind.
The plot appears to come together in a neat and tidy fashion. Perhaps it’s too neat and tidy.
The performances here are all first-rate. Kansara and Arya have a great, sisterly chemistry, and as besties, Beh and Bruccoleri are a joy to watch. The playful way Bucha telegraphs her villainy keeps us off guard — is she merely eccentric or the devil in disguise?
Manzoor’s action scene staging is also commendable. Cinematographer Ashley Connor captures the beautiful swirls of color created by PC Williams’s costumes as they flow around the actors mid-combat. “Polite Society” is a feast for the eyes.
I’m sure that I missed several cultural references that evoked laughter from the audience, but even if you don’t get every joke, you’ll still get the story.
The film is billed as an action comedy, but it also works as a credible satire. It has the markings of that genre; that is, it takes the subject to be satirized and stretches it to the point of absurdity to make a valid point. Boy, does this movie do that! Body-horror director David Cronenberg and “A Modest Proposal” writer Jonathan Swift would both be proud.