WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
To own one’s identity with confidence, poise, and unshakable determination. Is this not a goal many have in life, to make their mark, to feel the sense of freedom that comes with pursuing that which makes them most fulfilled? When obstacles arise, however, that throw a momentum-shifting wrench into our plans, do we stand firm, or allow the weight of circumstance to force us down? In Toronto, Canada, a young Muslim woman named Fatima (Shiva Negar) strives to live up to the rigid standards of her family’s traditions while stealthily attempting to experience a modicum of what Western culture has to offer, desiring to feel more able to make her own choices rather than having to live up to predetermined paths of expectation.
One random evening on her way home, she meets Texas Red Tempest (Courtney Deelen), a local burlesque dancer, who invites Fatima to the club to catch a performance. Hesitant to take Texas up on the offer yet somehow finding an inexorable draw to see what it is all about, Fatima’s decision to attend radically opens her eyes to a whole new world of openness and independence in meeting the club’s producer Catcha Foxx (Pastel Supernova) and her primary dancers Sinnamon (Katelyn McCulloch), Lady of the Lake (Liana Lewis), Fisticuffs (Caitlin Thrasher), Pressure Head (Kristen Foote), and Bast (Aidan Morris). But, secrets have a way of coming to light, and it soon becomes a battle for Fatima to reconcile her traditional self with the new.
Next, my Mind:
It’s raw, candid, sexiness meets the often immovable forces that are cultural and societal traditions, all serving as the foundational thematic baseline for writer/director/producer Jackie English’s indie feature film effort which presents a definitive and impassioned message about its primary intent–female empowerment in a modern age where sterotypes, objectification, restrictive reasoning, religious ambiguity, and familial conventions have potentially or outright blatantly snuffed out the ability for women to make their own choices, by fulfilled by them, yet avoid the negative backlash or minimalization because of it, much less anything worse. With this film, from a content perspective, the beauty and sexuality displayed through the burlesque art form is boldly and uninhibitedly brought forth, and while fairly well beyond this reviewer’s personal preference to view, isn’t in itself the gist of the narrative, but rather an effective tool utilized to illustrate one young woman’s awakening to a new sense of individuality, with the perfectly realistic awkwardness and hesitancy we would expect her to encounter, given the character’s upbringing and overall belief system being totally laid bare by being around a group of such confidently fearless, plus playfully audacious, women.
Yet, in watching as she immerses herself more and more into a new stage of choice in life, it isn’t some intentional means to “spit in the face” of her or her family’s ideologies as much as a willingness to finally put off a façade she feels she’s been “wearing”, instead embracing the freedom of choosing her own path no matter what, while hopefully gaining the understanding and acceptance of her parents, sibling, and relatives rather than being shunned for being a, forbid, free-thinking woman. Even after events spin out of control more than once, the depiction of how she chooses to handle the situations is effective and very grounded, the arguments she makes valid, without being somehow overtly “rebellious”. She loves her faith, she loves her family, and respects them both deeply, but simply desires to not be forced to do what is expected or desired by others. It all strangely sounds like what it means to be, oh yeah, human. The visuals are admittedly arresting in the dance/performance sequences, certainly showcasing the world of tassels, glitter, poom-pooms, peels, shimmies, and finale reveals all meant to tempt the audience, giving the performers the power over their audience. Sometimes it’s bawdy, other times it’s flirtatious, all with an accompanying music score right on queue and suited to the task the entire time.
Iranian-born, Turkey/Canada-raised Negar returns home to The Great White North from a very solid recent turn in “American Assassin” to embrace the role of Fatima, a college-aged Muslim woman quietly compliant in her home life but inwardly frustrated and outwardly more Westernized when outside of its confines, seeking to make her own way in life rather than following the predetermined one her parents seem to anticipate. When happenstance draws her into the world of burlesque, her reactions range from shock at these women’s unconstrained attitudes to awe at the sense of power it provides them, which only causes Fatima to decide to further explore it all herself. Still taking time to learn the trade and not be uncomfortable doing it, circumstances occur that initially shatter her ability to “hide” the involvement, leading to a series of subsequent events that are unexpected, heartbreaking, yet ultimately affirming and strengthening to all involved. Negar brings such a beautifully realistic aura to Fatima’s character throughout, navigating both her more reserved, repressed vulnerability but then her newly discovered, adventurously inspired self-confidence with the beauty, poise, and believability that this character-driven drama required, a rising star without question.
Deelen sparkles as dancer Texas Red Tempest, a highly independent and strong woman who first runs into Fatima at a bus stop one random day and becomes the catalyst that brings the still-shy girl to the club and into the burlesque arena. McCulloch brings a specific, controlled intensity to her role as Sinnamon, whose chances to finally become one of the primary dancers instead of “kittening” (watch the film) gets put into motion upon Fatima’s inclusion in the group, though tensions arise later between them. Lewis shines as she enacts African-American dancer Lady of the Lake, a very assertive, self-assured member of the troupe whose high energy performances are only equaled by her good-natured, partying ways. Supernova portrays the club’s head of production Catcha Foxx, a soft-spoken but firm-when-she-needs-to-be leader who takes Fatima under her wing, becoming the mentor that gives her new student a chance to be educated and excel quickly, on top of being the veteran performer who consistently wows their audiences. Foote’s performance as Pressure Head is wonderfully entertaining, as she exudes a bubbly, wild child persona for the dancer who gets quite excited on stage let’s say. Thrasher’s Fisticuffs is almost the most subdued of the group, a goth-clad woman committed to her art, her fellow friends/dancers, and the simply enjoyment of doing what she loves, a more “quiet” role, but important and well-played nonetheless. Finally, there is Morris’ Bast, a performer who gets a little more than she bargains for during her one appearance on stage. The troupe together is one amazingly cohesive unit, and even though it’s a risqué, even at times raunchy, show they put on, it’s done with a deeper sense of commitment and athletic physicality than most might think would be the case.
Key supporting turns are given by Khalid Klein as Fatima’s brother Mahmood, who’s dealing with his own pressures of family expectations at home and becomes much more involved with his sister’s story and newfound job than he ever would have anticipated, challenging his own convictions and support of her, Hrant Alianak as her father Waleed, an old school traditionalist who upholds the family’s cultural observances and hopes for his children’s preplanned directions, Severn Thompson as her mother Olivia, the second half of the multi-ethnic marriage and who strives to maintain the same beliefs and mandates as her husband while simply trying to be a good mother to both children, Sam Kalilieh as Uncle Yousef, a very dogmatic man who truly attempts to ensure the family stays well within the teachings they should while also contesting any opinion that conflicts with what he feels are indisputable views, and Moe Jeudy-Lamour as Club Lulu bartender Justin. Additional supporting turns are present from Elise Bauman and Alli Chung as Fatima’s schoolmates Becca and Wei Chen, Pedro Miguel Arce as one of Club Lulu’s super fans, and Kamiran Aldeo as Fatima’s intolerant cousin Amir.
In total, despite my own personal reservations about some of the content I tend not to prefer, make no mistake that “Becoming Burlesque” is a well-executed character-driven indie drama that deftly tackles its principal female empowerment themes with emotive certainty and purposeful drive while likewise shining a light on grander concepts of being who you are, following your dreams, finding what fulfills you, standing up for it all, and knowing that one can still value faith and heritage while doing so, even if it happens to fly in the face of what societal norms or customs might try to dictate. So, how about we just kick back, relax, and let the tease begin.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
