Desiree Akhavan writes, directs and stars in this fearless and funny feature debut, a tart portrait of a disintegrating relationship.

Akhavan is Shirin, a wry and adventurous bisexual Brooklynite struggling to muster the courage to come out to her loving but traditional Iranian-American family, juggle a job teaching filmmaking to five-year-olds whilst pining after her former girlfriend, the politically committed Maxine (Rebecca Henderson).

Her life post-Maxine is a maze of online dating, threesomes, visits to a gay rights discussion group and awkward lingerie shopping, and through flashbacks we watch the couple’s relationship sputter into life and run a course to its end. The setting and subject will inevitably draw comparisons to Lena Dunham and Girls (Akhavan was a co-star in the most recent series), but Akhavan is a voice all of her own.

A funny, fresh debut from a talent to watch.

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