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POLARIZED

By Shamim SARIF

APL FILM - as SALES All rights, World

Drama - Completed 2023

On the verge of her wedding, a successful Muslim woman falls into a passionate relationship with a blue collar woman who works for her. IN a modern-day small town that is politically and economically polarized, being true to themselves means turning their backs on everything they've ever believed.

- Year of production
- 2023
- Genres
- Drama, LGBT, Female director
- Countries
- CANADA
- Languages
- ENGLISH, ARABIC
- Duration
- 94 mn
- Director(s)
- Shamim SARIF
- Writer(s)
- Shamim SARIF
- Cast
- Holly DEVAUX, Adam HURTIG, Tara SAMUEL, Maxine DENIS
- Producer(s)
- Hanan KATTAN (SK Enlightenment Films), Juliette HAGOPIAN (Julijette Inc.)
- Synopsis
- Mulholland, present day - a tired town which used to be a thriving farming community but where dreams are now mostly turned to dust. The political climate - leaning against immigrants - feels threatening for Dalia and her successful, Muslim family. They own an ‘urban farm’ – the kind of controlled production that takes less space and water but has helped push traditional farms in the area out of business. Lisa’s family is one of those who’ve lost everything, thanks to a mix of economics and her father’s medical bills.
  
  Reluctantly, Lisa, who’s also an aspiring songwriter, now works for Dalia at the urban farm. Weeks before Dalia’s wedding, a heated encounter between the two women exposes deep prejudices and results in Lisa losing her job. But it’s only the start of a passionate, unexpected connection between these two women from the same town, but very different worlds. As the pair face a growing attraction, Lisa is willing to trust her feelings, despite struggling with her conservative church’s beliefs. But Dalia faces having to break off an imminent wedding to a man she cares for. As the relationship grows, the pressure builds.
  
  Just as Dalia decides to follow her heart and break off the wedding, Lisa learns that Dalia’s family has beaten her in the race to get her father’s farm out of foreclosure. Despite Dalia’s lack of culpability, Lisa blames her, and the two are torn apart.
  
  Faced with rising racial tensions at the farm and silence from Lisa, Dalia decides to go ahead with the wedding. Meanwhile, Lisa spends time with her friend and co-worker Charlie - he’s attracted to her and has figured out the relationship Lisa had with Dalia. He encourages her to forget about it. But Charlie hasn’t kept Lisa’s secret. Sharing it with her parents and brother, Casey, leads to a church ‘intervention’ to try to get Lisa to overcome her feelings. Humiliated, Lisa leaves town, embarking on a solo pursuit of her music career.
  Having glimpsed a different passion with Lisa, Dalia finds her stable life feels meaningless. But when the two of them are thrown together, Lisa appears to have moved on. When her father is dying, Lisa returns to Mulholland, stronger and more sure of herself. Dalia, too, has had the courage to leave her marriage, even without Lisa by her side. This time around, the women find a way to get past the expectations that previously pulled them apart.