Close attention to Chicago indie love story ‘Signature Move’ pays off

Chicago-based director Jennifer Reeder has crafted a very compelling film out of a poignant screenplay by Lisa Donato and Fawzia Mirza, who also plays the lead role in “Signature Move.” The core elements here are as diverse as the overall themes — ranging from a lesbian romance between women of Pakistani and Mexican heritages, to parental conflicts, to the strict tenets of the Islam faith, to the world of female Mexican lucha libre wrestling.

Mirza plays Zaynab, a closeted Pakistani-American lawyer in Chicago, whose mother Parveen (portrayed beautifully by Indian actress Shabana Azmi) is recently widowed and seems equally obsessed with marrying off her daughter to an appropriate Pakistani man as she is with watching her South Asian TV soap operas. The drama ramps up after Zaynab meets the flamboyant — and very openly gay — bookstore owner Alma (Sari Sanchez) at a North Side bar and has a fling, which she thinks will only be a one-night stand.

The two women quickly fall for each other, but Alma is very frustrated by Zaynab’s seeming inability to come out to her mother, given her own Mexican family is fully aware she’s a lesbian and is totally accepting.

The strength of this independent gem is how Reeder takes us on a tightly focused journey of discovery for both the lovers and eventually for Parveen herself. While that focus clearly is the mark of an indie film’s tight budget, “Signature Move” doesn’t feel skimpy, as the story demands we stay close to the principals and remain in intimate contact with the characters and the arc of the story being told about them.

A touch of offbeat humor is added with the desire by Zaynab to participate in the underground world of lucha libre wrestling, which grows out of her being trained by a legal client who pays her with wrestling lessons.

It’s good to see a film that shares experiences — especially relating to sexuality — that have rarely before been showcased cinematically. While this likely will appeal strongly to LGBTQ audiences, I hope it finds a wider viewing, as the acting and the dialogue make for excellent drama. In addition, many people will easily relate to the stress that can come from being an adult child forced to live in the same house as an aging parent — who continues to act as if that offspring is still a dependent minor.

★★★

Chicago Film Project presents a film directed by Jennifer Reeder and written by Fawzia Mirza and Lisa Donato. No MPAA rating. Running time: 80 minutes. Opens Friday at the Music Box Theatre.