Bad Indian "The Villain Origin Story"
2023 · 13m · UK
Directed by Abbey Monteiro
Genres: comedy, coming-of-age, drama
Tones: humorous, provocative, tender, tense
A young British Indian woman from Croydon lies to her strict Catholic Indian mother about being rejected from Cambridge, escaping into a chaotic night at the infamous A-Level Results Party where the truth eventually catches up with her.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
Second-gen British Indian girl as chaotic anti-hero refusing the model-minority script — at least it's swinging at the right target, and 'unapologetically messy' is a refreshing pitch. Curious.
Monteiro lets a British Indian woman be the chaotic anti-hero rather than the diligent achiever — that refusal of model-minority framing is the work. The Rocks / Bend It Like Beckham lineage with more bite.
Thirteen minutes giving an Asian woman permission to be the messy, gloriously imperfect anti-hero subverting model-minority stereotype — that screenplay choice is the most important craft decision. Short of the Week distribution and the semi-autobiographical specificity suggest the voice is the achievement.
Reviews
A high-energy roller coaster ride of a coming-of-age story... Abbey is a likable and relatable character, who we understand and empathize with, despite (or maybe because) of her faults.
A hilarious film about a second-generation immigrant child trying to earn the approval of her parent.
Festivals
- London Short Film Festival 2024
- Femme Filmmakers Festival 2024