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{{Short description|2008 film by Shamim Sarif}}
{{About|the film|the novel|I Can't Think Straight (novel)}}
{{About|the film|the novel|I Can't Think Straight (novel)}}
⚫
{{Infobox film
{{Multiple issues|
⚫
| name = I Can't Think Straight
{{third-party|date=August 2015}}
⚫
| image = I Can't Think Straight Poster.jpg
{{COI|date=July 2013}}
⚫
| caption = Theatrical release poster
⚫
| director = [[Shamim Sarif]]
| screenplay = {{Plainlist|
* Shamim Sarif
* [[Kelly Moss]]
}}
}}
| based_on = {{based on|''[[I Can't Think Straight (novel)|I Can't Think Straight]]''|Shamim Sarif}}

⚫
| producer = [[Hanan Kattan]]
⚫
{{Infobox film
| starring = {{Plainlist|
⚫
| name = I Can't Think Straight
* [[Lisa Ray]]
⚫
| image =I Can't Think Straight Poster.jpg
* [[Sheetal Sheth]]
⚫
| caption = Theatrical release poster
⚫
| director = [[Shamim Sarif]]
⚫
| producer = [[Hanan Kattan]]
| writer = [[Shamim Sarif]]<br>[[Kelly Moss]]
| starring = [[Lisa Ray]]<br>[[Sheetal Sheth]]
⚫
| music = [[Raiomond Mirza]]
⚫
| cinematography = Aseem Bajaj
⚫
| editing = David Martin
⚫
| distributor = [[Enlightenment Productions]]<br>[[Regent Releasing]]
| released = {{Film date|2008|06||London Film Focus}}
⚫
| runtime = 80 minutes
⚫
| country = United States<br />United Kingdom<br />India
⚫
| language = English
}}
}}
⚫
| cinematography = Aseem Bajaj
⚫
| editing = David Martin
⚫
| music = [[Raiomond Mirza]]
⚫
| studio = [[Enlightenment Productions]]
| distributor = Enlightenment Films
| released = {{Film date|df=yes|2008|10|26|Hamburg International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival|2009|4|3|United Kingdom}}
⚫
| runtime = 80 minutes
⚫
| country = United Kingdom
⚫
| language = English
}}

'''''I Can't Think Straight''''' is a 2008 British [[romantic drama film]] directed by [[Shamim Sarif]]. Based on Sarif's 2008 [[I Can't Think Straight (novel)|novel of the same name]], the film tells the story of a London-based Jordanian of Palestinian descent, Tala, who is preparing for an elaborate wedding when a turn of events causes her to have an affair, and subsequently fall in love, with another woman, Leyla, a [[British Indian]]. The film stars [[Lisa Ray]] and [[Sheetal Sheth]].


''I Can't Think Straight'' was produced by [[Enlightenment Productions]] and distributed in the United States by [[Regent Releasing]] and Here! Films.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Kay|first1=Jeremy|title=here! buys North American rights to Sarif's I Can't Think Straight|url=https://www.screendaily.com/here-buys-north-american-rights-to-sarifs-i-cant-think-straight/4040877.article|website=[[ScreenDaily]]|date=16 September 2008|accessdate=16 November 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Scheib|first1=Ronnie|title=I Can't Think Straight|url=https://variety.com/2008/film/reviews/i-can-t-think-straight-1200472125/|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=18 November 2008|accessdate=16 November 2017}}</ref> It was released in different regions between 2008 and 2009.<ref>{{cite web|title=I Can't Think Straight|url=http://www.enlightenment-productions.com/icantthinkstraightfilm/festivals-and-markets/|website=Icantthinkstraightfilm.com|accessdate=2013-05-21}}</ref> The DVD was released on 4 May 2009.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Best|first1=Jason|title=Out on DVD – I Can't Think Straight & The World Unseen|url=http://www.whatsontv.co.uk/movie-talk/out-on-dvd-i-can-t-think-straight-the-world-unseen-326308/|website=[[What's on TV]]|date=4 May 2009|accessdate=16 November 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=I Can't Think Straight|url=http://www.enlightenment-productions.com/blog/portfolio_page/i-cant-think-straight-film/|website=[[Enlightenment Productions]]|accessdate=21 May 2013}}</ref>
'''''I Can't Think Straight''''' is a 2008 romance film adapted from the [[I Can't Think Straight (book)|novel of the same name]] about a [[London]]-based Jordanian of Palestinian descent, Tala, who is preparing for an elaborate wedding. A turn of events causes her to have an affair and subsequently fall in love with another woman, Leyla, a [[British Indian]]. The movie is distributed by Enlightenment Productions. It was released in different theatres between 2008 and 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.icantthinkstraightfilm.com |title=I Can't Think Straight |publisher=Icantthinkstraightfilm.com |date= |accessdate=2013-05-21}}</ref> The DVD was released on 4 May 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.enlightenment-productions.com/index.php?page=howtoget |title=Enlightenment Productions, books, films, music and more… |publisher=Enlightenment Productions |date= |accessdate=2013-05-21}}</ref> The movie is directed by [[Shamim Sarif]] and stars [[Lisa Ray]] and [[Sheetal Sheth]].


The two actresses star in another movie with lesbian characters, ''[[The World Unseen]]'', released in 2008.
The lead actresses, Ray and Sheth, also starred in Sarif's 2007 lesbian-themed [[historical drama]] film ''[[The World Unseen]]''.


==Plot==
==Plot==
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* [[Lisa Ray]] as Tala
* [[Lisa Ray]] as Tala
* [[Sheetal Sheth]] as Leyla
* [[Sheetal Sheth]] as Leyla
* Antonia Frering as Reema - Tala's Mother
* Antonia Frering as Reema - Tala's mother
* [[Dalip Tahil]] as Omar - Tala's Father
* [[Dalip Tahil]] as Omar - Tala's father
* Ernest Ignatius as Sam - Leyla's Father
* Ernest Ignatius as Sam - Leyla's father
* Siddiqua Akhtar as Maya - Leyla's Mother
* Siddiqua Akhtar as Maya - Leyla's mother
* [[Amber Rose Revah]] as Yasmin - Leyla's Sister
* [[Amber Rose Revah]] as Yasmin - Leyla's sister
* [[Anya Lahiri]] as Lamia - Tala's Middle Sister
* [[Anya Lahiri]] as Lamia - Tala's middle sister
* [[Kimberly Jaraj]] as Zina - Tala's Youngest Sister
* [[Kimberly Jaraj]] as Zina - Tala's younger sister
* [[Rez Kempton]] as Ali - Tala's Bestfriend | Leyla's Boyfriend
* Rez Kempton as Ali - Tala's best friend, Leyla's boyfriend
* [[Daud Shah (actor)|Daud Shah]] as Hani - Tala's Fiancé
* [[Daud Shah (actor)|Daud Shah]] as Hani - Tala's fiancé
* Sam Vincenti as Kareem - Lamia's Husband
* Sam Vincenti as Kareem - Lamia's husband
* Ishwar Maharaj as Sami - Kareem's Younger Brother
* Ishwar Maharaj as Sami - Kareem's younger brother
* George Tardios as Uncle Ramzi
* George Tardios as Uncle Ramzi
* [[Nina Wadia]] as Rani the Housekeeper
* [[Nina Wadia]] as Rani the Housekeeper


== Awards ==
== Critical reception ==
''[[The New York Times]]'' called the film "another weightless confection from the writer and director Shamim Sarif."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Catsoulis|title=Love Beyond Boundaries|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/21/movies/21thin.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=20 November 2008|accessdate=21 September 2017}}</ref>

[[Autostraddle]] said that it "stands out for its cultural specificity, truly stunning leads, and endless charm."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/new-and-revised-the-103-best-lesbian-movies-of-all-time-368953/?all=1|title=Now, An Updated Edition Of The 102 Best Lesbian Movies Of All Time|date=2017-02-14|work=Autostraddle|access-date=2017-09-21}}</ref>

[[AfterEllen.com and TheBacklot.com|AfterEllen]]'s review notes, "While the film has a lot going for it, the script is surprisingly paint-by-the-numbers. Viewers familiar with lesbian films will be able to call the ending (and all major points of conflict) long before the credits roll. Also surprising is the number of cringe-worthy lines Ray and Sheth utter."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.afterellen.com/movies/40600-review-of-i-cant-think-straight|title=Review of "I Can't Think Straight"|date=2008-11-19|work=AfterEllen|access-date=2017-09-21}}</ref>

==Awards==
* Best Feature, Audience Award - Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival 2009
* Best Feature, Audience Award - Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival 2009
* Best Feature - International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Of Canary Islands, 2009
* Best Feature - International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Of Canary Islands, 2009
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* Best Feature Film - Gay Film Nights International Film Festival 2009
* Best Feature Film - Gay Film Nights International Film Festival 2009


==See also==
== International releases ==
* [[List of LGBT-related films directed by women]]
* New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, November 21, 2008
* San Francisco, November 28, 2008
* Portland, December 12, 2008
* Germany, Switzerland, Austria Lichtenstein and Süd Tirol, April 16, 2009
* United Kingdom, April 3, 2009
* United Kingdom (DVD), April 10
* India, September 11, 2009
* The Netherlands (DVD), October 13, 2009


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.icantthinkstraightfilm.com/}}
* {{Official website}}
* {{IMDb title|0830570|I Can't Think Straight}}
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{AllMovie title}}
* [http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/i-cant-think-straight-2007 ''I Can't Think Straight''] at [[British Board of Film Classification|BBFC]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20171116201434/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b8ce4e9e6 ''I Can't Think Straight''] at [[British Film Institute|BFI]]
* [https://reeltimecreative.com/icantthinkstraight/ ''I Can't Think Straight''] at Reeltime Creative


[[Category:2008 films]]
[[Category:2008 films]]
[[Category:American LGBT-related films]]
[[Category:2008 independent films]]
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[[Category:2008 LGBT-related films]]

[[Category:American films]] <!-- Not sure what nationality/ties this film is -->
[[Category:2008 romantic drama films]]
[[Category:British LGBT-related films]]
[[Category:2000s British films]]
[[Category:British films]]
[[Category:2000s English-language films]]
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[[Category:Lesbian-related films]]
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[[Category:American independent films]]
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[[Category:English-language films]]
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[[Category:Films set in London]]
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[[Category:Films set in England]]
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[[Category:Films set in Jordan]]
[[Category:British independent films]]
[[Category:British independent films]]
[[Category:British LGBT-related films]]
[[Category:British romantic drama films]]
[[Category:Films based on British novels]]
[[Category:Films based on romance novels]]
[[Category:Films directed by Shamim Sarif]]
[[Category:Films directed by Shamim Sarif]]
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[[Category:Films set in Jordan]]
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[[Category:Films set in London]]
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[[Category:Films shot in London]]
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[[Category:Lesbian-related films]]
[[Category:LGBT-related romantic drama films]]
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[[Category:English-language independent films]]

Latest revision as of 23:24, 25 April 2024

This article is about the film. For the novel, see I Can't Think Straight (novel).
I Can't Think Straight
Theatrical release poster
Directed byShamim Sarif
Screenplay by
Based onI Can't Think Straight
by Shamim Sarif
Produced byHanan Kattan
Starring
CinematographyAseem Bajaj
Edited byDavid Martin
Music byRaiomond Mirza
Production
company
Distributed byEnlightenment Films
Release dates
  • 26 October 2008 (2008-10-26) (Hamburg International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival)
  • 3 April 2009 (2009-04-03) (United Kingdom)
Running time
80 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

I Can't Think Straight is a 2008 British romantic drama film directed by Shamim Sarif. Based on Sarif's 2008 novel of the same name, the film tells the story of a London-based Jordanian of Palestinian descent, Tala, who is preparing for an elaborate wedding when a turn of events causes her to have an affair, and subsequently fall in love, with another woman, Leyla, a British Indian. The film stars Lisa Ray and Sheetal Sheth.

I Can't Think Straight was produced by Enlightenment Productions and distributed in the United States by Regent Releasing and Here! Films.[1][2] It was released in different regions between 2008 and 2009.[3] The DVD was released on 4 May 2009.[4][5]

The lead actresses, Ray and Sheth, also starred in Sarif's 2007 lesbian-themed historical drama film The World Unseen.

Plot[edit]

In the upper echelons of traditional Middle Eastern society, wealthy Christian Palestinians Reema and Omar prepare for the marriage of their visiting daughter Tala to Hani in Jordan. But back at work in London, Tala encounters Leyla, a young British Indian Muslim woman who is dating Tala's best friend Ali. Tala sees something unique in the artless, clumsy, sensitive Leyla who secretly works to become a writer. And Tala's forthright challenges to Leyla's beliefs begins a journey of self-awareness for Leyla. After a weekend getaway into the countryside, Tala and Leyla sleep together and the two women begin to fall in love. However, Tala's own sense of duty and cultural restraint cause her to pull away from Leyla and fly back to Jordan where the preparations for an ostentatious wedding are well under way.

As family members descend and the wedding day approaches, the pressure mounts until Tala finally cracks and extricates herself. Back in London, Leyla is heartbroken but learns to break free of her own self-doubt and her mother's expectations, ditching Ali and being honest with her parents about her sexuality. When Ali and Leyla's feisty sister, Yasmin, help try to get Tala and Leyla together again, Tala finds that her own preconceptions of what love can be is the final hurdle she must jump to win Leyla back.

Cast[edit]

  • Lisa Ray as Tala
  • Sheetal Sheth as Leyla
  • Antonia Frering as Reema - Tala's mother
  • Dalip Tahil as Omar - Tala's father
  • Ernest Ignatius as Sam - Leyla's father
  • Siddiqua Akhtar as Maya - Leyla's mother
  • Amber Rose Revah as Yasmin - Leyla's sister
  • Anya Lahiri as Lamia - Tala's middle sister
  • Kimberly Jaraj as Zina - Tala's younger sister
  • Rez Kempton as Ali - Tala's best friend, Leyla's boyfriend
  • Daud Shah as Hani - Tala's fiancé
  • Sam Vincenti as Kareem - Lamia's husband
  • Ishwar Maharaj as Sami - Kareem's younger brother
  • George Tardios as Uncle Ramzi
  • Nina Wadia as Rani the Housekeeper

Critical reception[edit]

The New York Times called the film "another weightless confection from the writer and director Shamim Sarif."[6]

Autostraddle said that it "stands out for its cultural specificity, truly stunning leads, and endless charm."[7]

AfterEllen's review notes, "While the film has a lot going for it, the script is surprisingly paint-by-the-numbers. Viewers familiar with lesbian films will be able to call the ending (and all major points of conflict) long before the credits roll. Also surprising is the number of cringe-worthy lines Ray and Sheth utter."[8]

Awards[edit]

  • Best Feature, Audience Award - Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival 2009
  • Best Feature - International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Of Canary Islands, 2009
  • Best Feature - Afterellen Visibility Awards
  • Best Feature, Audience Award - Melbourne Queer Film Festival 2009
  • Best Feature, Audience Award - Pink Apple 2009
  • Audience Award Best Feature Film - Fairy Tales International Queer Diversity Film Festival (Calgary) 2009
  • Jury Winner Best Feature Film - Festival Del Mar, Majorca 2009
  • Audience Award, Best Feature - Vancouver Queer Film Festival 2009
  • Best lesbian movie - The Holebifilmfestival Vlaams-Brabant 2009, Belgium
  • Jury award for Best Women's Feature - Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival 2009
  • Best Feature Film - Gay Film Nights International Film Festival 2009

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Kay, Jeremy (16 September 2008). "here! buys North American rights to Sarif's I Can't Think Straight". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  2. ^ Scheib, Ronnie (18 November 2008). "I Can't Think Straight". Variety. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  3. ^ "I Can't Think Straight". Icantthinkstraightfilm.com. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  4. ^ Best, Jason (4 May 2009). "Out on DVD – I Can't Think Straight & The World Unseen". What's on TV. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  5. ^ "I Can't Think Straight". Enlightenment Productions. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  6. ^ Catsoulis (20 November 2008). "Love Beyond Boundaries". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  7. ^ "Now, An Updated Edition Of The 102 Best Lesbian Movies Of All Time". Autostraddle. 2017-02-14. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
  8. ^ "Review of "I Can't Think Straight"". AfterEllen. 2008-11-19. Retrieved 2017-09-21.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=I_Can%27t_Think_Straight&oldid=1220794228"