Since the midsemester break of university holidays has come around and the typical July cold has settled in Melbourne, I have developed an addiction to watching all types of films on SBS On Demand. A few cold wintery nights ago I sat down with a nice glass of shiraz, a blanket wrapped around me and the cat I take care of occassionally on my lap. I opened my macbook typed the letter "s" and the link for SBS On Demand turned up staright away. Sweet! I was feeling a comedy so of course I searched through the comedy section. The film title Appropriate Behaviour caught my eye. Without any hesitation I clicked 'play' straight away (which is what I do with most films on SBS On Demand, and let me tell you they never disappoint). Much to my liking, it did not disappoint one bit.
Appropriate Behaviour is one of the few character driven comedies about manic twenty something year olds in New York. Directed, written and starring Desiree Akhavan as Shirin a twenty something from Brooklyn, struggling trying to succeed at being an ideal Persian daughter to her parents, a politically correct bisexual, and owning the hip young brooklyn girl persona; yet her attempts at all three fail. We first meet Shirin leaving her fallen out realtionship with girlfriend Maxine establishing Shirin as an emotionally untamed and distraught women trying to hold onto a cliche, yet finding herself upset and alone, she feels no point in moving on or forward in her life from Maxine. Slightly autobiographical the narrative goes back and forth from present time to the times and memories that Shirin shared with Maxine and her attempts at becoming that hip young, Persian, bisexual brooklynite .
This hip, indie comedy film for me idolises a trend of shows and films being made over the last few years, displaying the lives of frenzied twenty something New Yorkers, like the TV series Girls or the film Tiny Furniture both starring Lena Dunham. Featuring a range of characters' establishing their place within society, making mistakes, experiementing with interests, essentially trying to find themselves in the "Big Apple".
Films and shows like Appropriate Behaviour are a new wave of films that display contemporary youth culture, connecting young viewers, and appeal and alleviate the idea of being alone in their personal development as adults. For myself the film was something I felt I could realte to in terms of youthful tribulations, of finding who I am in the world today, as well as displaying the eccentric and whimsical nature of becoming a young female adult. Set with a truthful and realistic tone, as well as asserting the fun and crazy nature of youth.
- Isabella
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