Appropriate Behavior (2014)

Shirin is struggling to become an ideal Persian daughter, politically correct bisexual and hip young Brooklynite but fails miserably in her attempt at all identities. Being without a cliché to hold onto can be a lonely experience.

Director:

Desiree Akhavan

Writer:

Desiree Akhavan (screenplay)

Stars:

Desiree Akhavan, Rebecca Henderson, Halley Feiffer

2 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Desiree Akhavan	...	Shirin
Rebecca Henderson	...	Maxine
Halley Feiffer	...	Crystal
Ryan Fitzsimmons	...	Brendan
Anh Duong	...	Nasrin
Hooman Majd	...	Mehrdad
Arian Moayed	...	Ali
Justine Cotsonas	...	Layli
Scott Adsit	...	Ken
Maryann Urbano	...	Jackie (as Maryan Urbano)
Michael Lonergan	...	Jacques
Annalisa Graziano	...	Felicia
D'Monaye D'Jara Careathers	...	Caribbean Nanny
Jake Katzman	...	Groucho
Kyle Ty Lewis	...	Kujo (as Kyle Lewis)

Storyline

For Shirin, being part of a perfect Persian family isn't easy. Acceptance eludes her from all sides: her family doesn't know she's bisexual, and her ex-girlfriend, Maxine, can't understand why she doesn't tell them. Even the six-year-old boys in her moviemaking class are too ADD to focus on her for more than a second. Following a family announcement of her brother's betrothal to a parentally approved Iranian prize catch, Shirin embarks on a private rebellion involving a series of pansexual escapades, while trying to decipher what went wrong with Maxine.

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Plot Keywords:

lesbian kiss | lesbian couple | f rated | lesbian cunnilingus | title directed by female | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English Persian

Release Date:

16 January 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Appropriate Behaviour

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Parkville Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Shirin: I just hate the way dudes get when they can't maintain an erection.
Maxine: What do they get like?
Shirin: Oh, are you a gold star?
Maxine: No, I've had sex with men, just um... not the kind who go soft.

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Connections

Features 200 (1975)

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Soundtracks

SHIRIN IN THE STREET
Written and performed by Josephine Wiggs
Published by Naked Mole Rat Music/BMI

User Reviews

Pleasantly real

I'm not one for lengthy reviews. I thought it was an interesting slice of life. Pretty close to reality for a gal of this age in NYC.

Like the rest of us, this character is just trying to figure it all out. She's flawed in a number of ways and watching her try and just make it through the day is mildly uncomfortable and usually quite funny.

A lot of these reviews are calling this a "hipster" or "shallow" film and I have to disagree. In fact, I don't think these people know what a hipster really is because this movie doesn't depict that at all. If anything, it's more about the lost generation of GEN Y. Those of us who are too old to be hip and too young to have truly lived in the grunge life. The generation that should probably have it figured out by now, but we don't. And that's okay. The title character, Sherin, is exactly that.

It didn't strike me as the kind of movie that was supposed to leave you feeling like a new person with a whole new outlook on life. It was just one girl's well told story.