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Admirable film.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

In Brooklyn, Shirin is lost after breaking up with her girlfriend Maxine. She's got a Masters in journalism but no job. Her Persian family doesn't know about her bisexuality. Her brother is annoyingly successful. Her boy-crazy friend Crystal recommends her to Ken (Scott Adsit) for a job teaching movie-making to kids but it turns out to be more like daycare. There are constant flashbacks to her relationship with Maxine as she tries to move on with other people.At its heart, the movie is the traditional single-gal-in-the-city. Desiree Akhavan infuses it with a little bit of a Persian family and bisexuality which keeps it fresh. Her writing is pretty good especially for her theatrical debut. There are a couple of really good laughs. Buying a bra scene is really funny with Crystal's reactions. I also love her mother's reaction to her coming out. Desiree's acting is pretty good but not great. Overall, this is a nice little angsty indie and hopefully this is the start of an interesting new voice.

A new film-making star has been born! This is not an indie movie, this is not an LGBT movie, this is simply great! Ms. Akhavan is so talented on so many levels. This stuff is much better than "Girls" and other similar indie pretentious accounts of white middle-class daughters whose biggest problem in life is that their boyfriends are more handsome than themselves, which makes these girls bloody insecure, and than they comfort themselves with some trashy losers from the street.I love this movie, because it is totally post-indie and post-everything production. Shirin is seemingly a girl who has everything, looks and brain, and even pleasant and pretty nice parents, but who still has real, depressing problem. Her problem is that, due to her age, education and ways of socialisation she is caught up between rapid identity liberalisation, feminism, sexual freedom, on the one hand, and still remains of firm traditional identity constrains, that come from her family background, on the other hand. This is so much a story of current second generation immigrants everywhere in USA, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Scandinavia, etc.Her family is so typical for North American immigrants - they seem to be worldly people, but actually they still know only their original ways and hold on them, as the only source of security. Being familiar to that community, I am so proud someone has finally started telling this story, in relation to NY and these, youngest generation.The second layer of the story, the tension between lesbianism, and bisexuality, is also done very interestingly. It also deconstructs in very subtle way the fashionable urban myth of "bisexuality", as something that is cool for every woman, and belief that, after being in love with a woman, bisexual girls can always successfully replace her with a hot guy, or threesome. Shirin's character so obviously demonstrates that "bisexuality" does not help when a woman loses another woman whom she loves. I actually liked sex scenes a lot in this movie, they were so effective and graphic. I simply can't believe the same person who acted in them, also directed them.I also like the interesting anatomy of her relationship with Maxin, who is seemingly a dorky, unattractive and insecure girl, but actually much stronger than she looks like, and, a real, genuine love of Shirin. Striking contrast between their looks and styles is a great accent in the movie: it underlines the strength of love.And finally, the humor in the movie does not undermine the seriousness of the issue. Conflict with a loving family, which denies the crucial issues of their children, is one of the most painful features of current adulthood, no matter how emancipated and self-focused those people in question are.There are scenes that could have been improved, and we could have seen more of a Shirin's non-Persian friends, who definitely must have influenced her in life. Also, some situations with family could have been more elaborated. Still, this is incomparably better than "Girls", so I hope that this talented young woman will get at least as much chance in this business as a person who wrote "Girls" has got, and I am sure, the screen result will be much more interesting. Kudos to Ms. Akhavan!

Greetings again from the darkness. It's finally here! That is, if you have been anxiously awaiting a twist in the New York hipster Romantic Dramedy genre; and if the twist you want is a semi-autobiographical story of a Persian bi-sexual female whose focus in life is making her ex-partner jealous, while hiding the truth from her own conservative parents.Desiree Akhavan is the first time writer/director who also stars as Shirin, the lead character described above. Ms. Akhavan and the movie owe so much to Lena Dunham ("Girls") that the opening credits should have had a placard stating "Inspired by Lena". There is no shame in crediting those who influence one's work. We also see touches of Woody Allen and Nia Vardalos in Akhavan's writing, and Greta Gerwig in her acting style. What we haven't seen before, is an opening scene depicting the leading character breaking up with her partner and walking down the street toting her strap-on.Shirin is a twenty-something New Yorker who is insecure and judgmental, cynical yet hopeful, lacking in self-esteem, without any discernible professional talent or social skills, and void of any ambition … other than making her ex, Maxine (Rebecca Henderson) so jealous that she will come running back. Her "plan" is to sleep with many strangers of both sexes until one of these trysts makes Maxine see that she can't live without Shirin. She does all of this while dodging poverty working at a kindergarten teaching filmmaking to 5 year olds. We are told Shirin has a Masters in Journalism, just so we understand she has chosen this path in life.As a filmmaker, Ms. Akhavan shows real promise. Her feel and eye for crucial scenes between two people is very strong, though the dialogue could have used some help – many of the one-liners probably sounded funnier in her head than they come across on screen. Her use of flashbacks was especially creative as she juxtaposed good and bad moments of Shirin/Maxine with what's happening at any given moment. The sexual escapades and the unique community of New York hipsters will probably prevent this from any type of mainstream success, but it should provide opportunities for Akhavan as a filmmaker. Not surprisingly, as an actress, she will be appearing in the next season of "Girls".The Persian undercurrent seemed to provide the most potential for a real story of interest, though the focus on bi-sexuality more readily grabs headlines. Shirin's relationship with her parents and the Iranian community offered a chance for illumination and unique exchanges, but unfortunately most of these were glossed over for the next party or pick-up. "Persians communicate mostly through gossip" is a fascinating line that begged for more attention, and Shirin's attempt to come out while talking with her mom was well done and so deserved a follow up.Supporting work is provided by Halley Feiffer (daughter of Jules Feiffer) as Shirin's best friend Crystal. Ms. Feiffer steals every scene in which she appears, and had me wanting to learn more about her character. Scott Adsit ("30 Rock") plays the urban-stoner dad who gets Shirin her the teaching job that leads to the "Tale of the Lost Fart" – the turning point for Shirin as she finally reaches the moment when she realizes she has gotten over Maxine. The first film from an exciting new talent always brings a balance of anticipation and a reminder to keep our hopes in check. Here's hoping Desiree Akhavan has more to say.

Appropriate Behavior (2014) is a self-serving film writing by, directed by, and starring Desiree Akhaven. The movie follows Shirin, a twenty-something woman, who is tall, beautiful, bisexual, and of Iranian heritage. Sounds interesting, right? Wrong.Shirin doesn't appear to have any connection to anything other than herself and her love life. We never see her display any interest in art, music, or theater. She isn't interested in politics or human rights. She's not particularly interested in her Iranian cultural heritage, except to decry it. She scorns her brother's perfect traditional fiancée, without realizing that this beautiful young woman is a pediatric plastic surgeon, specializing in burns.OK--What is it that Shirin really likes? Drinking, dancing, and sex. Not too impressive a résumé, in my opinion. So . . . If you think you'll be charmed by a move with Shirin at its center, this is the film for you. If not, make a different choice. If you choose to see it, it will work well on DVD. We saw it at The Little Theatre as part of the fine ImageOut, the Rochester LGBT Film Festival.