Stafford Film Theatre – Polite Society

Nida Manzoor / UK 2023 / 105 min / Cert 12A

Dynamic, energetic and wickedly funny, Polite Society tells its story via anarchic genre shifts that take in action comedy, martial arts, Bollywood and social horror. 16-year-old Ria Khan is desperate to become a stuntwoman regardless of the disapproval of her British-Pakistani family and posh school. Loyal to her older sister Lena, she’s horrified when Lena becomes engaged to surgeon Salim – who somehow only Ria can see is a sinister creep. Is it sibling envy or loss Ria feels, or is something genuinely awry? After enlisting the help of her friends, Ria attempts to pull off the most ambitious of all wedding heists in the name of independence and sisterhood. Beautifully designed and boasting a tremendously witty, punchy script, it’s a light-hearted, exuberant and distinctive study of sibling affection.