Quickening

Directed by Haya Waseem

Canada, 2021 (fiction, 88 minutes, colour, English / Urdu)

Image: © levelFILM

Film Description:
"Sheila (Arooj Azeem) is a Pakistani Canadian teenager living in the suburbs. Nearing the end of first-year university and having fallen in love for the first time, with her classmate Eden, Sheila desires a freedom that her mother and father (played by Azeem's real-life parents) are unwilling to offer. After Sheila has sex for the first time with Eden, he abruptly breaks up with her, and her sense of reality begins to unravel, further alienating her from her friends, family, and community. Azeem delivers an impressive breakout performance as a young woman finding autonomy and individuality while trying to simply belong. [...]"
-- Ravi Srinivasan (source)

Film Credits (partial):
Written by:	Haya Waseem
Produced by:	Yona Strauss, Philipp Ramhofer, Jakob Preischl, Donovan Boden, Isil Gilderdale, Emily Harris, Harland Weiss
Principal Cast:	Arooj Azeem, Bushra Azeem, Ashir Azeem
Cinematography:	Christopher Lew
Film Editing:	Brendan Mills
Music:	Spencer Creaghan
Production Company:	Quickening Film

(sources)

Notes about Quickening

Shown at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2021.

(sources)

Quote by the Director

"The conflict [in Quickening] comes from what you're used to as suppression, and a form of being oppressed and being used to that, and suddenly having this veil lifted and told, 'You have freedom, you don't have to worry about how you're dressed and how you're behaving.'"
-- Haya Waseem (source)

Quote about Quickening

"Taking a different approach [than The Hill Where the Lionesses Roar], Quickening employs innovative camerawork, atmospheric lighting, and a not-entirely-linear narrative to shine light on the coming of age of a Pakistani Canadian college student. Also a rumination on the meanings of freedom and family, Quickening is not always straightforward or lucid in its narrative explanations or its character's motivations, but it betrays a tender care and attention to its subjects that's refreshing and illuminating."
-- Aviva Dove-Viebahn (source)

Bibliography for Quickening

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

Dove-Viebahn, Aviva. "'The Hill Where Lionesses Roar' and 'Quickening,' debut features by emerging filmmakers, are intimate exposés into the lives of young women." Review of Quickening. Ms., September 29, 2021.
Vlessing, Etlan. "Toronto hidden gem: 'Quickening' portrays a Pakistani immigrant family's Canadian dream." Hollywood Reporter, September 12, 2021.

Web Sites about Quickening

"IMDb: Quickening." Internet Movie Database, Inc. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14395898/reference.