| Appropriate Behavior | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Desiree Akhavan |
| Written by | Desiree Akhavan |
| Produced by | Cecilia Frugiuele |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Chris Teague |
| Edited by | Sara Shaw |
| Music by | Josephine Wiggs |
Production company | Parkville Pictures |
| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
| Box office | $123,6991 |
Appropriate Behavior is a 2014 romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Desiree Akhavan in her feature directorial debut. A co-production between the United States and the United Kingdom,2 the film stars Akhavan as Shirin, a bisexual Persian American woman in Brooklyn struggling to rebuild her life after breaking up with her girlfriend Maxine (Rebecca Henderson).3 The cast also includes Scott Adsit, Halley Feiffer, Anh Duong, Hooman Majd, Arian Moayed and Aimee Mullins.
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2014.4 It was released in the United States on January 16, 2015, by Gravitas Ventures56 and in the United Kingdom on March 6, 2015, by Peccadillo Pictures.78
Plot
Brooklynite Shirin, the daughter of well-off Persian immigrants, is left homeless and jobless after her girlfriend Maxine breaks up with her. With the encouragement of her friend Crystal she moves in with strange roommates and gets a new job teaching 5-year-old Park Slope children the art of movie making.
Shirin's parents are confused as to why Shirin moved out of her old apartment as Shirin has never told them that she is bisexual and dating a woman. Determined to get her life back on track, Shirin begins trying to follow Maxine, hoping to rekindle their relationship. Maxine begins dating Tibet, a fellow teacher at the Park Slope school where she works. Shirin devotes herself to her work and comes out to her brother, who is mostly supportive, and her mother, who is in denial.
On the subway, Shirin tells Crystal that she again plans to bring up the issue of her sexuality with her mother in a month. She sees Maxine outside the subway car on the platform and the two women wave to one another.
Cast
- Desiree Akhavan as Shirin
- Scott Adsit as Ken
- Rebecca Henderson as Maxine
- Halley Feiffer as Crystal
- Anh Duong as Nasrin
- Hooman Majd as Mehrdad
- Arian Moayed as Ali
- Aimee Mullins as Sasha
- Justine Cotsonas as Layli
- Ryan Fitzsimmons as Brendan
- Christopher James Baker as Ted
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 97% based on 62 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Warm, funny, and quietly profound, Appropriate Behavior serves as a thoroughly compelling calling card for writer, director, and star Desiree Akhavan."9 Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 73 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.10
David Rooney in his review for The Hollywood Reporter praised the film by saying, "The promise of fresh cultural perspectives gives way to a more amorphous slice of contemporary romantic angst comedy."11 Ryan Gilbey wrote in the New Statesman that Akhavan is "a whiz [sic] at writing characters whose life seems to extend beyond their brief screentime."12 Katie Walsh of IndieWire gave the film a grade of B+, saying, "Funny, unique, and entirely inappropriate, Appropriate Behavior is a supremely satisfying and irreverent take on the New York rom-com."13
Accolades
| Year | Group/Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 30th Independent Spirit Awards | Best First Screenplay | Desiree Akhavan | Nominated | 14 |
| San Diego Asian Film Festival | Grand Jury Prize | Won | 15 |
References
References
- "Appropriate Behavior (2014)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
- "Appropriate Behavior". British Film Institute. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
- Walsh, Katie (January 15, 2014). "Exclusive: Clip From Sundance Film 'Appropriate Behavior,' Writer/Director/Star Desiree Akhavan Talks Sex Scenes & More". IndieWire. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014.
- Setoodeh, Ramin (January 19, 2014). "Sundance: Why Desiree Akhavan Could be the Next Lena Dunham". Variety.
- Setoodeh, Ramin (August 18, 2014). "Sundance Comedy 'Appropriate Behavior' Acquired by Gravitas Ventures (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
- Opar, Josephine (December 8, 2014). "Watch: 'Appropriate Behavior' Trailer Takes on Bisexuality and Bad Brooklyn Parties". IndieWire. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
- Freeman, Hadley (March 5, 2015). "Desiree Akhavan on Appropriate Behaviour and not being the 'Iranian bisexual Lena Dunham'". The Guardian. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
- "Appropriate Behavior: Desiree Akhavan tackles bisexuality and identity in modern-day Brooklyn". Nowness. February 25, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
- "Appropriate Behavior". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
- "Appropriate Behavior". Metacritic.
- Rooney, David (January 18, 2014). "Appropriate Behavior: Sundance Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
- Gilbey, Ryan (March 6, 2015). "More Annie Hall than Girls, Appropriate Behaviour pulses with emotion". New Statesman. Archived from the original on March 7, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
- Walsh, Katie (January 19, 2014). "Sundance Review: 'Appropriate Behavior' Is A Funny, Irreverent, & Unique Take On The New York Rom-Com". IndieWire. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- "Film Independent Spirit Award Nominations 2015 – Full List". Deadline Hollywood. November 25, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
- "2014 SDAFF winners announced!". sdaff.org. November 9, 2014. Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2015.