Pride month can be a tricky time for some queer people, especially those who haven’t come out to their families. Maybe their family is old fashioned and aren’t willing to understand same-sex attraction, or maybe their religious beliefs prevent them from accepting it. For many queer people, being who you truly are can mean breaking through some of your most intimate boundaries.
That’s the situation the two lead characters of Polarized find themselves in. This film stars Holly Deveaux (from Baxter) as Lisa, a young white woman living in a small town with her evangelical Christian family. It also stars Maxine Denis (from Marry F*** Kill) as a Palestinian woman new to the town and one of Lisa’s bosses. Lisa’s family lost their home to the bank, and a new vertical farming company has moved into the town providing the only source of employment for most people. Dealing with engagement pressures at home, Dalia is more focused on her business then her happiness. The two main characters meet early on, and have an argument which leads to Lisa’s firing. But Dalia decides to giver her another chance, which leads to the two women growing closer and questioning everything about themselves.
Polarized is directed by Shamim Sarif and produced by Hanan Kattan, two filmmaking and romantic partners. Their script is concerned with the other boundaries one must break through to become one’s true self. Both women are given equal focus, and both are shown to be struggling with their situations. Lisa finds that she doesn’t have a place to be safe, usually taking refuge in her music. She’s never appreciated for it, not until Dalia hears one of her performances. As for Dalia, she faces immense pressure from her family to marry and start having children while leaving the business to the men in her family. They won’t consider any other option for her, and she’s afraid that she could lose her family for seeking anything else.
Early in the film there’s an argument between the two in which it’s shown that their cultures define them and keep them separate. What’s beautiful about this film is every single scene the two share afterwards show them slowly shedding the harmful aspects and becoming closer. It’s a love story that feels completely natural. As the two women outgrow what makes them separate, love becomes the bond that grows between them.
Their bond is what’s most powerful about this film, and a bond like that takes immense chemistry to work. Both Deveaux and Denis display such intimate chemistry, it seems like they’re playing reincarnated lovers once again discovering each other in a new lifetime. What helps for both characters is that they’re both discovering their sexuality, neither of them know much about what’s it like to be a lesbian. The film creates a scary, yet beautiful environment for them to grow in.
I spoke with both leads, and Deveaux tells me part of what helps with that chemistry is the fact that they were both playing characters who had to break through boundaries. Ultimately, Polarized is “about boundaries that these characters have to break through. They have to be brave enough to take those steps, daring to kiss a woman.” She thanked her scene partner Denis for being “hyperaware and extremely thoughtful.”
As for Denis, this was her first ever feature film. A daunting process, especially to co-lead the production. She thanked both Sarif and Kattan for helping to make the area accommodating. “While I was there, it felt like I was home. They made me feel at home even though I’m in Winnipeg and I’d never been to Winnipeg.”
Polarized is not a film that will revolutionize queer cinema, but it will help introduce many to queer cinema. This film is a good starting point for learning about queer desire and how to break through societal boundaries, especially if you know very little about what it means to be part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. If you aren’t sure how to come out to your family, consider showing them this film.
I give Polarized a 4/5. The film will be playing at various cinemas across the country in the next week (including at the Oakville Film Festival on Friday June 23rd, and a screening at the Revue Cinema on Sunday June 25th) before releasing on VOD on June 30th. You can watch my interview with both Maxine Denis and Holly Deveaux below.
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