Directed by:
Minhal BaigScreenplay:
Minhal BaigCinematography:
Carolina CostaComposer:
Mandy HoffmanCast:
Geraldine Viswanathan, Jack Kilmer, Gabriel Luna, Anna Chlumsky, Sam Straley, Raven Whitley, Taylor Marie Blim, Charin Alvarez, Birgundi BakerVOD (1)
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Hala is her father’s pride and joy. Dutiful and academically gifted, she skillfully navigates both her social life as a teen in Chicago and her obligations as an only child to Pakistani immigrants. With high-school graduation looming, however, Hala is bursting with sexual desire. When she meets Jesse, a classmate who shares her love for poetry and skateboarding, their romance is complicated by her Muslim faith and a father who is prepared to arrange her marriage according to their family’s cultural tradition. As Hala begins to challenge these customs, her parents’ own lives start to unravel, testing the power of Hala’s flourishing voice. (Sundance Film Festival)
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Casting Geraldine Viswanathan was half the battle won for Hala. She’s incredibly likable and really carries the film. In her role as a young Muslim woman navigating life in the West, she challenges cultural expectations and shows that young people just want to live their lives without the pressure of tradition and faith bearing down on them. While it drags a bit at times, overall it's a warm and thoughtful American drama.
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