Appropriate Behaviour

Synopsis

For Shirin (Desiree Akhavan), being part of a perfect family isn’t easy. Acceptance eludes her from all sides: her family doesn’t know she’s bisexual, and her ex-girlfriend, Maxine (Rebecca Henderson), 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 escapades, while trying to decipher what went wrong with Maxine.

Writer/director Desiree Akhavan, best known for her cult web series The Slope, stars in this story of a bisexual Iranian-American woman trying to find her way in modern-day Brooklyn. Appropriate Behaviour is an intelligent, engaging comedy that heralds an exciting new voice in indie cinema.

Wherever Akhavan turns, she can’t help but skewer or satirise something, whether it’s the superficial banter at a Persian wedding or the competitive horror of bumping into your ex when you’re both out on the arm of your latest squeeze. She’s a whiz at writing characters whose life seems to extend beyond their brief screentime, from the primary school teacher who is using storyboards from The Birds while Shirin is leading her own class through the rudiments of stop-motion, or the underwear sales assistant whose advice shades into therapy.
The supporting cast features the eternally dishevelled Scott Adsit (30 Rock) as a cheerful junkie dad and Halley Feiffer, who has the manner of a distracted Tinkerbell, as Shirin’s best friend. The situations may verge on the zany (one couple brings Shirin home with them to enjoy their latex fetish) but the emotions pulsing through the movie are authentic and relatable. Shirin clatters clumsily through the simplest situations but she somehow never loses her dignity. We want her to triumph. I think that goes double for the indomitable, statuesque actor who plays her. New Statesman

Film Information

On DVD and On-Demand: 29th June 2015

USA/UK / English / 90 Mins / 2014 / Cert UK & IRE: 15 / DVD RRP: £15.99.

DVD Extras: Audio Commentary with director and producer, UK exclusive interview with director and producer, BFI Flare Q&A with Desiree Akhavan, London Met Film School Masterclass Preview, Behind the Scenes Featurette, Hard of Hearing Subtitles, New Exclusive DVD Artwork

DVD Release Date: June 29th 2015
Country of Origin: England
Language: English
Running Time: 90 minutes
Director: Desiree Akhavan
Cast: Desiree Akhavan, Rebecca Henderson, Scott Adsit, Halley Feiffer, Anh Duong, Hooman Majid, Arian Moayed, Aimee Mullins, Christopher Baker, Robyn Rikoon
BBFC Rating: 15
For Shirin (Desiree Akhavan), being part of a perfect family isn’t easy. Acceptance eludes her from all sides: her family doesn’t know she’s bisexual, and her ex-girlfriend, Maxine (Rebecca Henderson), 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.