Film

Sheer Qorma

Name: Sheer Qorma
Genre: Drama
Released: 2021
Cast: Shabana Azmi, Divya Dutta, Swara Bhasker, Kalyanee Mulay, Jitin Gulati

Social drama

A 30-minute film about queer women navigating family, faith, and belonging in contemporary India. Intimate and unsentimental, it finds humor and tenderness in the gaps between love and acceptance. For anyone who understands that family complexity isn't a problem to solve—it's the texture of actual life.

If you liked this

Parched2015

Three women in rural India find friendship and agency amid drought and oppression. Visually stunning, deeply humane, and funny in ways that matter. An ancestor to Sheer Qorma's emotional intelligence.

But Slow-paced and occasionally difficult to watch; it doesn't offer easy catharsis or tidy resolution.

The Watermelon Heist2003

A South African comedy about queer friendship and chosen family that prizes specificity and character over messaging. It shares Sheer Qorma's refusal to be preachy while still honoring what's at stake.

But Low production values and a tone that shifts unevenly between comedy and weightier moments.

Courage Under Fire1996

Deepa Mehta's film about two women in Delhi discovering love amid family and social pressure. Landmark work of Indian queer cinema; bracingly direct about desire and agency.

But It's 48 years old now and carries the visual language of '90s cinema. Some will find it dated; others will prize that specificity.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Sheer Qorma

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post2018

Both films center the inner lives of queer women navigating systems (family, faith) that don't make room for them—but find ways to make room for each other anyway.

A film about queer teens at conversion camp that refuses victimhood even as it documents harm. It's tender and defiant in ways that feel structurally similar to Sheer Qorma's balance of warmth and resistance.

But Based on a YA novel, so it skews younger; some will find the register too coming-of-age for their taste.

Derry Girls2018

Four girls navigate identity, family, and belonging in 1990s Northern Ireland. Funny and tender in exactly the same breath, with an ensemble that actually feels like real people.

But It's a comedy first, and if the British-Irish humor doesn't land for you, neither will the show.

The Half of It2020

A queer love triangle in small-town America that's witty, moving, and genuinely romantic. Alice Wu writes dialogue that sounds like how people actually speak when they're smart and scared.

But Very dialogue-heavy; plot takes a backseat to character and conversation.

Never Have I Ever2020

Mindy Kaling's series about an Indian-American teenager navigating class, sexuality, family pressure, and grief. Funny, fast-paced, full of real stakes and actual surprises.

But Unapologetically comedic in tone, which might feel mismatched if you want pure earnestness.

Orange Is the New Black2013

An ensemble prison drama that lets women be complex, flawed, and full. Jenji Kohan builds room for almost every kind of character and story without flattening anyone.

But Five seasons is a lot of commitment; the quality dips as it goes on.

Four More Shots Please!2019

Four Indian women navigate friendship, work, desire, and family in Mumbai. Messy and sex-positive; it doesn't apologize for wanting its characters to have complicated lives.

But Uneven in execution; sometimes the tone lurches between comedy and drama awkwardly.

Peppermint2018

A South Korean drama about a transgender woman rebuilding her life and reclaiming agency. Quiet and specific; it takes its protagonist's internal world seriously.

But Slower and more austere than most films about self-discovery; requires patience and rewards attention.

Three Colors: Red1994

Both are brief films that accomplish what others need feature length for. Both suggest that meaning lives in the space between people, not in what they say.

Krzysztof Kieślowski's meditation on fate, connection, and what binds strangers together. 100 minutes that feel like 30; it trusts you to sit with ambiguity and implication.

But No conventional plot, no melodrama. If you need things spelled out, this will frustrate you.

Shoplifters2018

Like Sheer Qorma, it argues that family is what you build, not what you're born into. Both find grace and humor in people making life work against the odds.

Hirokazu Koreeda's film about a family held together by love and circumstance rather than blood or law. Shot with such gentleness that you forget to judge anyone. Devastatingly funny and heartbreaking.

But It's a Japanese film, subtitled. More importantly, it moves at a pace that demands you feel rather than think, which some find punishing.