Film

Appropriate Behavior

Name: Appropriate Behavior
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Released: 2015
Cast: Desiree Akhavan, Rebecca Henderson, Halley Feiffer, Ryan Fitzsimmons, Anh Duong

Desiree Akhavan's debut is a sharp, funny indie about a bisexual Persian-American woman in Brooklyn trying to navigate family expectations, a breakup, and the messy gap between who she wants to be and who she actually is. It's warm and honest without being earnest, cringe comedy that doesn't mock its protagonist.

TMDb rating

3.2

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy sharp, self-deprecating comedy about messy young adults who keep tripping over their own contradictions, with awkward dialogue that lands on the bone and a wry eye for Brooklyn pretension.

Skip it if you want a tidy plot with clear stakes; this is loose, episodic and talky, and its humour leans on cringe and repetition, so a 90-minute ride may feel like it wanders.

What it asks of you: Ninety minutes of unhurried, scattered scenes that ask you to sit with embarrassment and small domestic friction, rather than follow a propulsive storyline.

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