The ensemble romantic comedy made its premiere at SXSW
Rana (Medalion Rahimi, NCIS: LA, Still Star Crossed) is a nurse and a poet, and at the open of Same Same but Different, she finds out her request for a visa is denied. Her boss’s son Adam (Logan Miller, Love Simon), whom she’s been sleeping with, suggests they get married so she can stay in the US. This romantic comedy, which premiered at SXSW, depicts the action-packed weekend of their wedding in Cape Cod, which thrusts Rana’s two closest friends – who are not friends themselves – and their romantic partners into a house party with Adam’s family.
Rana’s friendships are the true center of the film, which is based on a screenplay by Dalia Rooni. Rooni also plays Nadia, a physical trainer and outspoken anti-capitalist. Layla Mohammadi (The Persian Version, Lioness) balances out the trio as Set, a snobby second-year associate at a law firm. The relationships between these women, along with Rahimi’s touching performance as lead, add an emotional resonance to Same Same but Different.
The film capably captures Rana’s tenuous circumstances, torn between the life she’s making for herself in the States and longing for her family and home in Iran. Neither option is ideal. Although there’s an underlying lightheartedness to the film, Rana’s attempts to reach out to her mom are treated with care and depth.
The supporting cast includes a couple familiar faces from CBS’s Ghosts (Danielle Pinnock and Richie Moriarty), as well as Joey Lauren Adams (Dazed and Confused, Chasing Amy) as Adam’s mom/Rana’s employer, and Kevin Nealon as a goofy spiritual guide named Siddhartha. The film’s director Lauren Noll even shows up as Adam’s half-sister. Same Same but Different has the feel of an ensemble comedy, yet Rahimi holds the center. Despite the cluttered ending, it’s a sweet story of culture and identity which engages the viewer.
