Americanish

Americanish beautifully portrays a range of experiences among Muslim-American women in a contemporary world. The film demonstrates that Muslim women are not a monolith, despite often being represented as such. All three of the leading women are driven and persistent in pursuit of their differing goals. By highlighting these differences, the film challenges the harmful stereotype of Muslim women as universally oppressed and devoid of agency. The film is so funny and enjoyable, but also poignant and filled with deeper meaning. I was rooting for Sameem, Ameera, and Maryam from beginning to end! It was a joy to watch and I can't recommend it enough.

I saw Americanish at a film festival thinking I was at another screening, but I'm delighted that I got to see this instead! The movie does an impressive job of weaving together multiple stories of very different women who are all fully believable and sympathetic. It hits a good balance of complicated, challenging situations and rom-com hijinks. My one complaint is that I did not get as much of the mother's story as I would have liked, but with four narratives to balance it's impossible to fully explore all the threads in one movie. Definitely worth seeing and sharing!

Americanish made me laugh out loud. It is so relatable. Having grown up in different countries and finally becoming my own person in the US, I related to both the sisters. I remember the exact day when I decided to remove my hijab. In my professional life, I've had to bite my tongue many times, so I fully relate to Sam. The mother daughter relationship was so well portrayed. As heavy as all these topics were, it was phenomenal that Americanish made me laugh so hard. Muslim women are not monolithic. We are multifaceted and Americanish did a great job portraying that.

The movie was a lighthearted take on very relevant issues faced by immigrant families especially from the south Asian diaspora. I enjoyed the story line, the comic relief and the women empowerment in the movie! Great job!

This romcom follows the lives of three women navigating the different meanings and expectations of love as they try to stay true to their own identity. This is an upbeat film and while formulaic, one still looks forward to how things will play out for each in the end. I loved it!