A movie about a lesbian of Indian descent who falls in love with another woman, and doesn’t attempt suicide, set something on fire, or go crazy? And it has a happy ending? Yes, Nina’s Heavenly Delights is clearly a sign of the Kali Yuga. And I loved it.
AfterEllen.com writer Sharon Hadrian sums up the movie (which may be released in the States next year) pretty accurately in her review when she says, “Though sometimes overly theatrical and unbelievable, the movie offers lesbian viewers a chance to cheer for a spicy Scottish couple whose relationship develops through a love and devotion to food and family.” (To learn more about the film, watch the trailer on the movie’s official website, visit Nina’s MySpace profile, read Variety’s review of the film, or read an interview with the director.)
Yes, Nina is formulaic; yes, the women have Scottish accents so Americans might have to have subtitles to understand what they’re saying; and no, it doesn’t take a master chef to figure out how it’s going to end. But this is all part of the movie’s charm – edgy art-house movies definitely have their place, but sometimes you just want a fun romantic comedy that isn’t trying to be the next Being John Malkovich. Am I right?
Nina’s Heavenly Delights has attractive lesbians falling in love with each other, accompanied by a great soundtrack, quirky secondary characters, a little competition, and lots of good-looking food. What’s not to love? Throw in the fact that the movie features an interracial romance – and out lesbian Alex Parks’s trademark song “What It Takes” – and I predict that queer women around the world will eat it up (sorry, couldn’t resist at least one pun!).
They’re also going to fall in love with Nina. Don’t get me wrong, the character of Lisa (Laura Fraser) is nice, too, and the two women have good chemistry in the film. But Shelley Conn is all that and a side of samosas in this movie. With extra tamarind-date sauce. And that spicy green stuff, too.
