Signature Move 2017 Movie Review

💪 A Heartwarming Story of Wrestling with Identity and Love

🎥 Movie Overview

🎬 Title: Signature Move (2017)
🌍 Country: 🇺🇸 USA
🎞️ Genre: Romantic Comedy / Queer / Family Drama
🗓️ Production & Release: Full Spectrum Features, 2017, Independent Feature Film
📢 Director: Jennifer Reeder
📺 Platform: Amazon Prime Video, Vimeo, Tubi, etc.

👩‍💼 Cast: Fawzia Mirza – Zaynab
Sari Sanchez – Alma

🧩 Deep Dive into the Story (Spoilers)

🤼 Searching for Identity: Wrestling and Coming Out

Zaynab is a 30-something immigration lawyer living in Chicago. Her life revolves around three intertwined roles, symbolizing her journey toward self-discovery.

• As a Daughter (Family): After her father’s death, Zaynab takes care of her traditional Muslim mother, Parveen, who now lives with her. Parveen spends her days watching Pakistani dramas and her nights peering out the window with binoculars, trying to find her daughter a husband. Zaynab hides her lesbian identity from her mother, torn between her traditional role as a daughter and her true self, struggling with deep inner conflict.

• As a Lover (Love): Zaynab falls in love with Alma, a lively and confident Mexican-American bookstore owner she meets at a bar. Although both share the same queer identity, Alma has already come out to her family and receives their support — a stark contrast to Zaynab’s secrecy. Their romance unfolds within Chicago’s multicultural landscape, where Urdu, Spanish, and English intermingle, highlighting the importance of empathy and compromise.

• As a Wrestler (Self): Zaynab begins training in lucha libre wrestling under the guidance of one of her clients, a former professional wrestler named Jayde. The wrestling ring becomes a space for Zaynab to release stress and build inner strength. Her quest to develop her own “Signature Move” mirrors her effort to find a clear and authentic sense of self amid the chaos of her life.

👊 Cultural Intersection and Breaking Stereotypes

Signature Move deals with the intersecting identities of being queer, Muslim, and a second-generation immigrant, yet refuses to portray its characters as victims or exotic others.

• A Playful Juxtaposition of Cultures: The film humorously contrasts Pakistani and Mexican cultures. Scenes where Zaynab’s mother watches Pakistani soap operas while Alma’s mother watches Mexican telenovelas reveal how seemingly different traditions are rooted in universal emotions like love and motherhood.

• Breaking Stereotypes: The movie rejects the Western stereotype of the Muslim woman as someone needing liberation. Both the director and lead actress aim to show these women as ordinary people — capable of love, sorrow, secrets, and resilience — rather than symbolic figures.

• “Out” vs. “In” Contrast: Alma’s mother, Rosa, is a former luchadora (female wrestler) who is open and accepting of her daughter’s sexuality. In contrast, Zaynab’s mother, Parveen, is deeply conservative. This juxtaposition underscores how cultural differences profoundly shape the coming-out experience and one’s ability to live authentically.

👍 Mother-Daughter Bond and Emotional “Signature Move”

The central emotional conflict of the film lies in the strained mother-daughter relationship between Zaynab and Parveen.

• Daily Life of Disconnection and Care: Their shared home becomes a place of coexisting loneliness. Zaynab cares deeply for her mother but fears that revealing the truth about her life would break her heart.

• Wrestling as Symbolic Release: Wrestling serves as more than a hobby. The physical strength Zaynab gains in the ring translates into emotional courage — the strength to tell her mother the truth and to stand firmly in her identity. The film’s wrestling climax symbolizes Zaynab finally using her own “Signature Move” in the arena of life — to face love, fear, and truth head-on.

Signature Move may appear as a lighthearted romantic comedy on the surface, but beneath it lies a deeply relatable drama about a second-generation immigrant finding balance between tradition and personal freedom. It powerfully conveys that love is universal, transcending culture and generation alike.

🎯 Personal Rating

❤️‍🔥 Love Scene Intensity: ♥♥
⭐ Rating: ★★★