In this section of our Colossus Movie Guide for Polite Society, we look at important motifs that help us understand the film.
Cast
- Ria Khan – Priya Kansara
- Lena Khan – Ritu Arya
- Fatima Khan – Shobu Kapoor
- Rafe Khan – Jeff Mirza
- Raheela – Nimra Bucha
- Salim – Akshay Khanna
- Clara – Seraphina Beh
- Alba – Ella Bruccoleri
- Kovacs – Shona Babayemi
- Eunice Huthart – Eunice Huthart
- Written by – Nida Manzoor
- Directed by – Nida Manzoor
Important motifs in Polite Society
“I am the fury”
Ria has a speech she loves to repeat in seemingly every video she makes. Quote, “The gods whispered to the warrior, ‘You will not withstand the fury.’ The warrior whispers back, ‘I am the fury!’”
It’s actually a riff on a popular motivational quote that goes, “Fate whispers to the warrior, ‘You cannot withstand the storm.’ The warrior whispers back, ‘I am the storm.’” Tom Brady actually posted that to his Facebook page in January of 2018. A variation appeared a few months later in Mission Impossible: Fallout.
Delivery Man: Fate whispers to the warrior.
Tom Cruise: A storm is coming.
Delivery Man: And the warrior whispers back.
Tom Cruise: I am the storm.
It suits Ria and Polite Society for several reasons. First, Ria’s a dreamer and wants to be a stuntperson in the movies. So it feels like something you’d hear in a big Marvel movie or some fantasy action blockbuster. You can imagine Ria picturing herself in the film, in the moment. It’s silly and youthful but also a sign of her vision and determination.
Then, of course, there’s the aspirational aspect. Ria becoming a stuntperson is not what’s expected of her. Most people in her life either humor her about it or outright doubt her. Very few believe she can do it, much less will do it. Because who does? How many of us know a professional stuntperson? It’s not a path that society encourages. So you can see “the gods” as a metaphor for “polite society” and the structures in place that not only discourage people from pursuing their goals but actively stop them. Which is exactly what Raheela embodies.
The jumping fury kick
After Ria delivers the “I am the fury” line, she attempts a jumping arc kick that looks like it would be awesome if she could ever land it. But she never does. Over and over, we see her crash to the ground. It’s not a hurdle she overcomes through physical training or pure determination. Instead, the film uses the kick as a sign of Ria’s own self doubt. As much as she expresses her belief in her dream, there’s part of her that’s fearful. Which is why she’s so incredibly adamant about Lena being an artist. If Lena can’t do that, Ria fears what it means for her own aspirations. As long as that doubt persists, it manifests in the inability to hit the jumping fury kick.
It’s a matter of conviction.
Knowing that Raheela embodies polite society and larger societal mechanisms, the very things creating the doubt and fear in Lena and Ria, it’s fitting that Ria finally lands the kick on Raheela. It’s her defeating “the gods” and finding that inner strength and belief that transcends what others think of her or want from her.
Eunice Huthart
Eunice is a real stuntwoman. She serves a similar role to the jumping fury kick. Her silence overlaps with Ria’s own doubt in her future. Then her email comes after Ria has found that sense of conviction. Within the story, we’re told Eunice has been busy and was only just then able to respond. Which is perfectly reasonable. But artistically the reason you have that happen is to withhold the opportunity from the character until they’ve earned it by overcoming their journey’s primary challenges. It’s the reward.
Eunice being busy also allows the film to use Ria’s emails to Eunice as moments of self-reflection that serves almost like voice over or inner monologue, giving the viewer insight to Ria’s deeper feelings as she progresses through the story.
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