Nareh “Nar” Bedrossian, the fascinating and lovable protagonist of Taleen Voskuni’s tender sapphic rom-com, Sorry, Bro, is a strolling, speaking id disaster. Nar’s by no means been snug in her personal pores and skin; she doesn’t totally embrace her profession as a video journalist, her Armenian heritage or her bisexuality. There’s loads of room for progress, and Voskuni deftly delivers it in a romance bursting with specificity and cultural depth, informed by way of Nar’s distinctive voice.
Voskuni kicks issues off with Nar’s boyfriend’s full failure of a wedding proposal, and this cringey and good opening scene exposes what Nar is aware of in her soul: She’ll by no means be comfortable if she surrenders half of herself for a person who’s so dismissive of her tradition. That’s why Nar agrees to attend “Explore Armenia,” a monthlong sequence of occasions that remember the Armenian American group in her dwelling of San Francisco, California. Who is aware of? Maybe she’ll meet a person her mom deems applicable (learn: good-looking, eligible and Armenian). Instead, Nar meets lovely, stylish and assured Erebuni Minassian, who rescues Nar from having to marshal the arrogance to enter a mixer on her personal.
Despite the worth Nar locations on group and household connection, she often recoils from what she perceives to be embarrassing points of Armenian id, equivalent to their penchant for gold, departures from Western magnificence beliefs and ubiquitous discussions of the 1915 Armenian genocide. This discomfort is a outcome of the conflict of values that marked Nar’s childhood. Her late father strove to be a extra stereotypically white American, whereas her mom takes delight of their tradition.
A nuanced, advanced battle between these two units of priorities is continually raging inside Nar’s head. Cool, levelheaded Erebuni is a very swoonworthy love curiosity, and it’s unimaginable to not root for Nar. Voskuni gorgeously depicts their connection, however the narrative arc hinges on Nar’s journey from ambivalence to acceptance. Sorry, Bro is a fantastically crafted portrait of a girl and the Armenian American group, which has been traditionally underrepresented on the web page.
Discussion about this post