''Polarized'' is a British-Canadian drama film, written and directed by

Shamim Sarif Shamim Sarif (born 24 September 1969) is a British novelist and filmmaker of South Asian and South African heritage. Her work often focuses on various aspects of identity including gender, race, and sexuality. It often draws upon her own person ...

and released in 2023.Anne T. Donahue
"Shamim Sarif’s Polarized takes a close look at issues of race, sexuality and religion"
''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', June 22, 2023. The film stars

Holly Deveaux Holly Deveaux is a Canadian actress. She is known for starring in the television series '' Baxter'', ''Less Than Kind'', and ''Spun Out''. Career In 2012, Deveaux was cast as Casey Anthony in '' Prosecuting Casey Anthony'', a television movie ba ...

as Lisa, a young farm girl from rural

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

who is fired by manager Dalia (Maxine Denis) from her job after an angry, racially insensitive outburst, only for the two women to subsequently develop a romantic relationship which tests the divisions and cleavages in the community around race, religion and sexuality.Randall King
"Manitoba-shot film Polarized explores issues of division through love story"

CBC News CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca. ...

Manitoba, June 24,2023. The cast also includes Hesham Hammoud, Abraham Asto, Tara Samuel, Elie Gemael, Sandrella Mohanna, Peter Bou-Ghannam, Baraka Rahmani, Paul Essiembre, Chris Sigurdson, Darren Martens, Adam Hurtig, Gabriel Daniels, John B. Lowe, Marina Stephenson Kerr, Sarah Constible, Robert Nahum, Hazel Venzon, Kamal Chioua, Colleen Furlan and Brooke Palsson.

Production

The film was inspired in part by Sarif's own 27-year relationship with her partner

Hanan Kattan Hanan Kattan (born 22 May 1962) is a Jordanian-born, British-based film producer of Palestinian origin. She is also co-owner of multi-media entertainment company Enlightenment Productions. Kattan created Enlightenment Productions in partnership ...

, who was one of the film's producers. Kattan and the couple's children, Luca and Ethan Sarif-Kattan, all had small supporting appearances in the film. It was shot in Manitoba in the late summer and fall of 2021.

Distribution

The film had a screening for distributors at the

European Film Market The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

in February 2023, before having its public premiere on March 18 at BFI Flare. It had its Canadian premiere at the 2023

Canadian Film Festival The Canadian Film Festival, formerly known as the Canadian Filmmakers Festival, is an annual film festival in Toronto, Ontario. Showcasing a program of Canadian independent films, it is held in March of each year and usually runs for five days. ...

, where it was the winner of the audience-voted People's Pick award.Kelly Townsend
"Babysitter wins Best Feature at 2023 Canadian Film Fest"
'' Playback'', April 3, 2023.

Critical response

Anne T. Donahue of ''

'' wrote that the film "raises important questions about the limitations of seeing love through a binary lens, while challenging viewers to accept that even the sleepiest, most innocent-seeming towns can brim with racism and intolerance. While more scenes between both leads would’ve added even more believability to their relationship, ''Polarized'' is a beautifully shot and powerfully acted film that serves as a testament to the freedom only authenticity can bring."

References

External links

*{{imdb title, 6800566 2023 films 2023 drama films 2023 LGBT-related films English-language Canadian films British romantic drama films British LGBT-related films Canadian romantic drama films Canadian LGBT-related films 2020s British films 2020s Canadian films Lesbian-related films Films about Asian Canadians LGBT-related romantic drama films Films shot in Manitoba Films set in Manitoba