Signature Move

DIRECTOR: Jennifer Reeder
2017 | USA | 80min

Zaynab (Fawzia Mirza), a closeted Muslim Pakistani lawyer, has allowed her widowed mother (Shabana Azmi) to move into her Chicago home with her. But as an obedient daughter, she feels she must hide her love for women, as well as her training in Mexican-style wrestling.

It’s not long before she begins to chafe at her mother’s incessant quest to find her a proper husband. That pressure intensifies when she meets a beautiful, free-spirited Latina (Sari Sanchez of television’s Empire), who’s more experienced at love and living life out, loud and proud.

As their casual affair progresses to a more serious relationship, the two are confronted with their cultural differences and challenged to find a middle ground.

While the film never takes itself too seriously, it does shine a light on the love between multi-dimensional Middle Eastern and Latina characters — something queer audiences rarely see. Referring to a style of Mexican wrestling characterized by colorful masks and rapid maneuvers, Signature Move is an honest and funny look at modern romance, as well as a testament to female empowerment.