"Margarita with a straw" is an Indian drama social problem film that is available on Netflix. The main character, Laila — Kalki Koechlin — is a young adult with cerebral palsy. Before watching this movie I did not know what cerebral palsy was. After watching this movie, I Googled it and feel like I know more about the condition. Laila to every aspect is a normal teenage girl trying to find her way in this world. She goes to college where she helps a band with the soundtrack to their music. She, also, has a huge crush on the singer of the band — which would make anyone's life harder. She had to work with him and work around her crush on him. Nima — the singer of the band. Later, denies her advances toward him which lead her on the adventure of her life.
Laila’s family is her mother, father and her little brother. Her mother — mainly — takes care of her and she is the closest with her mother than any in her family — any other person in the world (really.) Laila gets accepted to NYU and takes the chance to leave her country and to expand her horizon. When in New York her teacher assumes that she needs someone to help her write because of her condition. She gets paired up with Jared who is an international student. One day, during a riot she crashes — literally — into a young lady named Khanum. She later finds out that she is blind and they begin to hang out. Khanum takes Laila to a bar — for the first time — where she is able to order alcohol. Her first choice was simple: a Margarita with a straw. Laila was able to explore not only herself but her sexuality when she meets Khanum.
This is unorthodox not only for an Indian woman but also someone with cerebral palsy. Her mother was not upset because she was exploring but because of they way people will look at her: a gay girl with cerebral palsy. That was unheard of to anyone in their community.
I like this movie because it does subvert the norm of disabled people. Just like the movie "The Fundamentals of Caring." It not only shows life for disabled people but gets inside their minds. In Laila’s case, it shows how much she wanted to be normal and to have some freedom from family— and privacy. She wants to be like the normal teenage girl who can close her room door and gush over her crush and do her what she does for fun, working on her music with her brother laying in the same room with her. Laila is relatable, and to me, as I watched the movie, I forgot about her cerebral palsy — which I really loved. I did not want to be reminded every five seconds that she has cerebral palsy.
I think the actors, writer and film producers should be accredited for this feeling and for the overall amazing aspects of the movie. I highly recommend this movie and it should be more nationally known.
