I had a wonderful
surprise a while back, when I found the film The Syrian Bride. It's an Israeli-Arab collaboration, from
director Eran Riklis, written with Suha Arraf. Its very existence is a
testament to how common people feel about politics dictating their lives. All
of the same issues that were present in Paradise Now are also in this film. In fact one of the
lead actors, Hiam Abbass, was in Paradise Now. But this is a story of how people have
come to deal with large scale adversities infiltrating their lives from ordinary
daily moments to monumental events. It blew me away with its subtlety. I strongly
recommend it.
My IMDb review is
below:
As an Arab-American who spent her childhood in the shadow of the Israeli occupied Golan Heights, I found many memories from my childhood coming back as I watched The Syrian Bride. How ridiculously difficult the most simple task can become when politics enters the picture! Anyone who wants personal insight into the Israeli-Arab conflict, should watch this. It's about as realistic as it can get.
This seemingly simple tale is fraught with all the obvious and subtle problems of a family and a community living under the restrictions of international politics. Whenever it starts to seem trite, it will surprise you with some detail or twist that reveals a depth that is never allowed to show on the surface. The premise is simple: a bride gets ready for her wedding... Not so simple, apparently.
Is the policeman a heartless occupying force? Is the father an iceberg? Is a border officer capable of setting policy for his entire Nation? Can the hopes of one woman survive this emotional day? You'll explore these questions while you become attached to the characters engaged in this drama. The acting is seamless. The scripting is spare. The story is unique.
The bottom line is that you should see this movie. If you watch it on DVD, be sure to watch the extras. The film was shot in Arabic and Hebrew (with a smattering of French and English), with English subtitles. It seems like an unusual choice, but it is realistic for the region and gives the film an extra layer of reality. Sometimes the subtitles flash by too quickly, but that's my only complaint.
For an interesting article about a real Syrian Bride follow this link :
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2007/03/just_like_syria_1.php
As an Arab-American who spent her childhood in the shadow of the Israeli occupied Golan Heights, I found many memories from my childhood coming back as I watched The Syrian Bride. How ridiculously difficult the most simple task can become when politics enters the picture! Anyone who wants personal insight into the Israeli-Arab conflict, should watch this. It's about as realistic as it can get.
This seemingly simple tale is fraught with all the obvious and subtle problems of a family and a community living under the restrictions of international politics. Whenever it starts to seem trite, it will surprise you with some detail or twist that reveals a depth that is never allowed to show on the surface. The premise is simple: a bride gets ready for her wedding... Not so simple, apparently.
Is the policeman a heartless occupying force? Is the father an iceberg? Is a border officer capable of setting policy for his entire Nation? Can the hopes of one woman survive this emotional day? You'll explore these questions while you become attached to the characters engaged in this drama. The acting is seamless. The scripting is spare. The story is unique.
The bottom line is that you should see this movie. If you watch it on DVD, be sure to watch the extras. The film was shot in Arabic and Hebrew (with a smattering of French and English), with English subtitles. It seems like an unusual choice, but it is realistic for the region and gives the film an extra layer of reality. Sometimes the subtitles flash by too quickly, but that's my only complaint.
For an interesting article about a real Syrian Bride follow this link :
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2007/03/just_like_syria_1.php
10/28/2011
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