Searching 4 Sandeep. Dir. Poppy Stockwell. New York: Women Make Movies, 2007. DVD. 55 min.

This documentary follows the progression of a relationship between two women, one an out surfer in Sydney and the other a closeted Sikh in England. Poppy and Sandeep meet online and, after months of text messages and phone calls, finally meet in person. Will they hit it off face-to-face? Indeed, Poppy moves across the globe to be with Sandeep, who must finally come out to her family.

Filmed entirely by the two women themselves, some of the camerawork is shaky and the editing choppy. Besides presenting a narrative of successful online dating, the film raises issues of coming out, family acceptance, and long-distance and cross-cultural relationships.

People both queer and straight will identify with Poppy and Sandeep‘s struggle to navigate a new partnership. Some explicit language. Appropriate for any large public library collection.

Reviewed by, Kelly McElroy
Out on the Shelves Library
Vancouver, BC