Polite Society is an enjoyable action comedy with strong female characters involved in a wonderfully melodramatic tale.

The story follows a young Pakistani woman, Ria (Priya Kansara) who dreams of being a stuntwoman, and who idolizes her older sister, Lena (Ritu Arya), who is experiencing a tough time after leaving art school because she she doesn’t feel she is good enough.

When not making vids for her channel, or spending time with her friends, Clara (Seraphina Beh) and Alba (Ella Bruccoleri), she’s emailing stuntwoman Eunice Huthart for advice. But things are about to shift, as the family is invited to the Shah’s estate for an evening and Ria meets Salim Shah (Akshay Khanna), and a romance begins to blossom.

Ria refuses to believe this is real, Lena’s not being truthful to who she is, no matter how happy she looks, and she’s determined, with the help of her friends, to dig something up on Salim to spoil the relationship.

Of course, it all blows up in her face, and then Ria finds something out, and it connects to Salim’s mother, Raheela (Nimra Bucha), and she has to concoct a plan to kidnap her sister from her own wedding!

Filled with chapter breaks, fight cards, and some solid comedic moments (Bruccoleri shines here), this is a delightful little confection that highlights the ups and downs of sisterly relationships, both family and friends, parental expectations, and the pursuit of one’s dreams.

The fight sequences are good, and some of the camerawork and shot choices are exceptional. They could have been a little tighter, especially as Ria becomes more comfortable with her skills. That being said, they are wonderfully over-the-top and fun, and everyone seems to get a chance to kick some butt.

I love the humour throughout the film, the laughs are earned and Kansara holds the screen easily, able to pull off the physical and emotional demands of the role, and knowing when to play things broad, and when to make things intimate. She’s a lot of fun, while Bucha is just so wonderfully evil that you feel she could start chewing scenery. She leans into her role with all the gusto of a Bond villain, and it works perfectly within the world the film has created.

The entire cast is a delight, and I love the fact that from the writer/director down, it’s a strong female-driven film that packs a punch! I had a lot of fun with this one.