Apple's new streaming service Apple TV+ has leveraged its brand on a slate all-original content; while the last month has seen several shows come and go, this weekend sees the release of Apple TV+'s first original movie, Hala. Written/directed by Minhal Baig, Hala is loosely derived from Baig's own experiences as a Muslim-American teenager growing up in a Pakistani-American household in Chicago. Torn between the conservative religiousness of her parents, and the temptations of freedom that come from the outside world, Hala (Blockers' Geraldine Viswanathan) goes through an earnest, painful journey of self-discovery, finding new angles to the coming-of-age story. Hala was set and filmed in Chicago, and back in October Baig got the chance to show the film at this year's Chicago International Film Festival, bringing her story back to the city where it's set. While she was here, I got the opportunity to sit down with her to discuss the lines between Hala's life and her own, what it's like coming back to Chicago, and getting the writing bug from slam poetry and anime fanfiction. (More of a Comment, Really… is a proud member of the Chicago Podcast Coop. Thanks to Backblaze for sponsoring this episode!)