13.20: Hidden Gems: Polite Society

In some episode last year, we discussed the need for movie-goers to watch “hidden gems,” those small-but-lovely movies that you find on YouTube or deep in a random streamer or maybe for rent only.

When you finally come across one of these beauties, you’re like, “Wow, this is amazing!”

We’re doing a little series of hidden gems over the course of 2024, starting with “Polite Society.”

This gem premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and was released by Focus Features in April 2023. So, it’s not so “hidden.” But tell me if you’ve heard of it!

Written and directed by Nida Manzoor (her feature film directorial debut), it’s a British martial arts action comedy film. Manzoor calls portions of the film a “‘joyful kung fu Bollywood epic’” (Wikipedia). Manzoor drew inspiration from Hong Kong kung fu films, Jackie Chan, spaghetti westerns, “All About Eve,” “Get Out,” “Kill Bill,” the novels of Jane Austen, and “The Slums of Beverly Hills,” among others.

Next week: We hand out the most prestigious awards of the year: The Soupie Awards!