One of the more quirky but fun films to air at SXSW 2017 is the romantic comedy Signature Move. The film stars Fawzia Mirza, Shabana Azmi, and Sari Sanchez. The story is about a young woman named Zaynab (Mirza) who is a Pakistani Muslim lesbian living in Chicago and who cares for her slightly overbearing mother (Azmi) while trying to find her own identity. When she meets an exciting young Mexican woman named Alma (Sanchez) her world is turned on its head as she not only embraces the possibility of a new romance, but also a new identity as an amateur female wrestler.
The film is funny and silly. Of course, Zaynab's mom is obsessed with not only watching TV all day but also finding her daughter a husband from the comfort of her couch. Zaynab is of course still in the closet to her mother and is so focused on what she wants out of life, outside of being an immigration lawyer. Alma is a no nonsense type of women who knows what she wants and goes for it. These two help each other grow and learn even when it seems like they don't want to. Their romance is sweet and fun to watch bloom. One of the things I really liked about this one was that it was so relatable. Whether you are gay or straight or whatever. We all either have or know someone with overbearing parents that they want to the approval of. It is not always over the not, but whether your parents are nagging at your about when you are going to settle down or giving you a hard time about your hobbies, it is easy to relate to. In this film, we have Zaynab keeping her sexuality and her new hobby a secret from her mom because she is certain she won't understand or accept it. It is clear that a lot of the time we don't give our parents the credit they deserve for loving us unconditionally. despite that, it is funny to watch this mother-daughter duo bumble around each other doing all the wrong things with the best of intentions.
This was a beautiful film to watch and we definitely recommend checking it out. We scored this one with a solid B+. It gets predictable at times, but that's okay. Most romantic comedies are and we wouldn't have it any other way. We all want the love and understanding and the happy ending. If those are things you enjoy in a film, take some time to watch Signature Move. It is currently making its rounds at film festivals, but hopefully, it will be coming soon to a screen near you.