🎬 Appropriate Behavior

Shirin (Desiree Akhavan) is a twenty-something Iranian-American bisexual woman struggling to pull together the disparate pieces of her identity in Brooklyn. She has just been dumped by her monogamous, politically active girlfriend, Maxine (Rebecca Henderson), after refusing to come out to her traditional, affluent Persian parents.

Navigating a messy post-breakup existence, Shirin takes a job teaching filmmaking to unruly five-year-olds at a Park Slope preschool, moves into a shared apartment with a quirky roommate, and ventures into the world of awkward Brooklyn dating. Toggling between non-linear flashbacks of her relationship with Maxine and her present-day misadventures, Shirin embarks on a funny, honest journey toward self-acceptance and cultural reconciliation.

💡 Did you know?
Sundance Breakthrough Debut: Appropriate Behavior was the feature directorial debut of writer-director-star Desiree Akhavan, premiering to widespread acclaim in the NEXT section at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.

A Rare Bisexual Lead Narrative: The film won praise for its authentic, non-judgmental depiction of bisexuality—a perspective rarely centered in mainstream or indie romantic comedies.

Follow-Up Success: Desiree Akhavan's critically acclaimed debut paved the way for her next major feature, The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018), which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.

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