Appropriate Behaviour

Desiree Akhavan is catching everyone’s attention this month with her feature debut, Appropriate Behaviour, a low-budget indie comedy shot in 18 days, nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and championed by the queen of female-led comedy Lena Dunham (Girls, Tiny Furniture).

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Appropriate Behaviour film UK release

The film, which premiered at last year’s Sundance Film Festival to widespread critical acclaim, follows Shirin, a self-destructive twenty-something bisexual Iranian-American living in Brooklyn and struggling with a recent break-up from girlfriend Maxine. As Shirin attempts to leave Maxine behind, clutching only her luggage and a strap-on dildo as she goes, her brother’s engagement to a highly suitable Iranian match is announced and Shirin responds by entering into a series of pansexual adventures, all the while trying to appease her traditional Persian family who know nothing of her sexual orientation.

Director Desiree Akhavan 

Best known for her cult-hit online web series, The Slope, Akhavan attributes her inspiration to directors such as Woody Allen, Noah Baumbach and Sarah Polley, recently saying of her own style that 'first and foremost I want to make work that is really funny and entertaining… but I also really don’t give a shit unless it has something cutting beneath the surface.' She certainly appears to have achieved that with Appropriate Behaviour which, while hailed as hilarious viewing, also takes seriously its subjects of sex (Akhavan sees honest portrayals of on-screen sex as a priority, feeling that 'a lot of scenes graze over sex and make it this silky smooth thing'), bisexuality (which she describes as 'the messy grey area') and race ('There are very few depictions of Iranians, period'). Look out for more exciting work from Akhavan in the near future.