DVD Review - The Syrian Bride
Director Eran Riklis does an excellent job of bringing this film to the screen. Riklis co-wrote the screenplay with Suha Arraf so both cultures (and religions) are represented. The story shows how the personal and the political intertwine for people living in the Middle East.
Mona(Clara Khoury), who is part of the Druze community in the Israeli occupied Golan Heights, is getting ready for her wedding. She is marrying a man who is a big television star in Syria.
This is an arranged marriage and she has never met the man. She has a lot of fears and doubts about this arrangement. The wedding will take place on the Israel-Syrian border and once Mona crosses the border to enter Syria she will never be allowed back into Israel (the same thing happens in the reverse - if one crosses the border to enter Israel they will not be allowed back into Syria).
The entire film takes place in one day and during the preparations leading up to the wedding we meet Mona's family. Her older sister Amal (Haim Abbass) is an intelligent, independent thinking woman who is married to an old fashioned man. Her daughters are also very modern. Mona's father (Makram J. Khoury) is very pro-Syrian and has spent time in jail for previous activities. One of Mona's brothers is a playboy who goes from country to country selling his wares. Another one of Mona's brothers lives in Russia and married a Russian woman who is a doctor. Because of this he is considered an outcast in the Druze village where most of his family lives. Mona's mother is old fashioned and still covers her hair (Mona and Amal do not).
As the wedding has been arranged months in advance you would think that things would go ahead without a hitch. That doesn't happen. Since this is the Middle East everything is complicated. I am not going to tell you why things don't go smoothly. You will have to see the film to find out. Most Druze who live in Israel consider themselves Arabs but they don't follow everything in the Muslim religion. Many Druze are loyal to Israel. However, the Druze who live in the Golan Heights consider themselves Syrian. This leaves them as a people without a national identity.
Riklis directs the film with a great deal of compassion and beauty. The screenplay is well written and the characters are real. All of the acting is good but the standout here is Abbass (she was also in Paradise Now and Munich). At the end of the film there is a scene in which we see her face convey many different emotions all at the same time. I look forward to seeing what this talented actress does in the future.
The film made me sad and angry at the same time. It is immoral not to allow people to go back and forth between Israel to Syria. Can you imagine the pain of those people who will not be allowed to see their loved ones again because of a political situation? The DVD contains an interview with Abbass. She is an Israeli Arab and she works with many Israeli Jews. She said that when they make a film together there is always cooperation and harmony between them. Let us hope that this feeling of goodwill extends to Israel and all of her Arab neighbors in the not too distant future.
Peace - Shalom - Salam
Mona(Clara Khoury), who is part of the Druze community in the Israeli occupied Golan Heights, is getting ready for her wedding. She is marrying a man who is a big television star in Syria.
This is an arranged marriage and she has never met the man. She has a lot of fears and doubts about this arrangement. The wedding will take place on the Israel-Syrian border and once Mona crosses the border to enter Syria she will never be allowed back into Israel (the same thing happens in the reverse - if one crosses the border to enter Israel they will not be allowed back into Syria).
The entire film takes place in one day and during the preparations leading up to the wedding we meet Mona's family. Her older sister Amal (Haim Abbass) is an intelligent, independent thinking woman who is married to an old fashioned man. Her daughters are also very modern. Mona's father (Makram J. Khoury) is very pro-Syrian and has spent time in jail for previous activities. One of Mona's brothers is a playboy who goes from country to country selling his wares. Another one of Mona's brothers lives in Russia and married a Russian woman who is a doctor. Because of this he is considered an outcast in the Druze village where most of his family lives. Mona's mother is old fashioned and still covers her hair (Mona and Amal do not).
As the wedding has been arranged months in advance you would think that things would go ahead without a hitch. That doesn't happen. Since this is the Middle East everything is complicated. I am not going to tell you why things don't go smoothly. You will have to see the film to find out. Most Druze who live in Israel consider themselves Arabs but they don't follow everything in the Muslim religion. Many Druze are loyal to Israel. However, the Druze who live in the Golan Heights consider themselves Syrian. This leaves them as a people without a national identity.
Riklis directs the film with a great deal of compassion and beauty. The screenplay is well written and the characters are real. All of the acting is good but the standout here is Abbass (she was also in Paradise Now and Munich). At the end of the film there is a scene in which we see her face convey many different emotions all at the same time. I look forward to seeing what this talented actress does in the future.
The film made me sad and angry at the same time. It is immoral not to allow people to go back and forth between Israel to Syria. Can you imagine the pain of those people who will not be allowed to see their loved ones again because of a political situation? The DVD contains an interview with Abbass. She is an Israeli Arab and she works with many Israeli Jews. She said that when they make a film together there is always cooperation and harmony between them. Let us hope that this feeling of goodwill extends to Israel and all of her Arab neighbors in the not too distant future.
Peace - Shalom - Salam
posted by Film Fanatic | 9:13 AM
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