If you’re caught up with BoJack Horseman, you may have noticed the name Minhal Baig. She wrote one of the best episodes of the new (half-)season, “The Kidney Stays in the Picture,” a.k.a. the one where Hollywoo assistants go on strike and Todd has another wacky misadventure. Baig has another project coming to a streaming service shortly: Apple TV+‘s Hala, a coming-of-age drama that she wrote and directed. Blockers breakout (and voice of Tawnie on, yup, BoJack) Geraldine Viswanathan stars as Hala, the only child of Pakistani immigrants. She’s caught between two worlds, balancing her cultural obligations with her desire to skateboard… and other high school-aged desires, too. “I am of two parts divided,” she says in the trailer above. “Stranger and family.”
Here’s the official plot synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Pakistani American teenager Hala (Geraldine Viswanathan) struggles to balance desire with her familial, cultural, and religious obligations. As she comes into her own, she grapples with a secret that threatens to unravel her family. Written and directed by Minhal Baig and executive produced by Jada Pinkett Smith, Hala was an official selection of the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.
Hala opens in theaters on November 22, and debuts on Apple TV+ on December 6.
