उपयोगकर्ता समीक्षाएं

This film screened at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, TX. This is a warm feel good film with a positive message that would be particularly good for teaching teens about overcoming prejudice and understanding different cultures. The film focuses on two young female teachers - one an Orthodox Jew and the other an observant Muslim - who are assigned to work together in a multi-ethnic school in Brooklyn.

The film is charming and uplifting as the two women learn that they have more in common with each other than either would have expected. They find friendship with each other, because they are both confronting similar issues with their parents and the secular world. They are also both undergoing the difficulty of trying to find a mate through their community's traditional systems of arranged marriage. While some of the characters come off as walking stereotypes (the Jewish matchmaker appears to be straight out of Fiddler on the Roof), the film for the most part does a sensitive job of portraying both Islam and Judaism in a very positive light. The film respects the women's genuine commitment to their faiths even as they struggle with difficult aspects of their faiths.

Arranged also shows the difficulties and prejudices that both women experience for being religiously observant from secular people (particularly the school's idiot principal). This latter subject is an important one that is rarely addressed in the secular film world where religion is too often mocked as irrational and oppressive - particular towards women - rather than understood on its own terms.

The acting and the script are sometimes uneven and there are moments that feel like an after school special. The conclusion is a bit too simplistic. But the message about both necessity and possibility of multi-religious co-existence is a good one presented with humor, warmth, and intelligence. In a world, where religion is often the basis of division and hatred, it is good to see a film that attempts to show that Jewish-Muslim co-existence is possible.

I took a long shot watching this one on demand as recommended to me by the robot at Netflix. This one, unlike some others, was right on. The two main characters are a delight as was, at least for me, having an excursion into two highly alien cultures. Those cultures were Arab Muslim orthodox as well as Jewish Orthodox. The pivot of the movie is simple. There are two elementary school teachers each belonging to one of those communities who form a friendship as each is soon to be subject to an arranged marriage.

Other reviews will clue you in on more if you wish to read more plot-wise. For me, the charm of the movie resides entirely in the depiction of the characters especially the two soon to be married women. I was charmed by the movie and very much so those two friends.

What bothered me about the movie and something I've not seen mentioned is the political correctness evident throughout. The Jews are depicted as narrow minded somewhat brutal or stupid haters of all things either Arab or maybe non-Jew. Meanwhile the Arabs are all mellow high IQ tolerant understanding scholars. Where the Jews threaten and brutalize their daughter, the Arabs are understanding of theirs.

Even the home life reflects this. The Arabs are a loving family while the Jews snipe at each other, whine, terrify the daughter by saying her behavior will kill the father and even includes a consistently nasty little kid.

Perhaps this does reflect the reality of the two cultures. I surely can't say personally speaking, but the contrast did stand out to this reviewer.

That said, I can't recommend the movie enough for its good points, its charm and its general feel goodness.

Nasira and Rochel are the daughters of a Koranic scholar and Orthodox Jewish fathers beginning their teaching careers at a NY elementary school, who are drawn together by their common experience of belonging to conservative religious communities. The film's title focuses on the issue of arranged marriage, but the two women are only subjected to fairly mild forms of arm-twisting associated with this patriarchal custom. The main theme is their friendship across a cultural divide, which provides support as they resist the school principal's disapproval of their beliefs and parental pressure to marry.

Nasira's father is portrayed as a traditionalist who simply cannot envision his daughter's future without marriage and children. He offers only minimal resistance when Nasira rejects his chosen prospect - and the father-daughter relationship appears to be strengthened by the episode. Meanwhile Rochel resists a comical onslaught from her mother and a gaggle of marriage arrangers when they present her with a parade of socially inept suitors. Her mother bullies her with warnings about family disgrace and lifelong spinsterhood, and blames her for her father's rising blood pressure.

Francis Benhamou and Zoe Lister Jones deliver fine performances as Nasira and Rochel. They are backed up by their support cast as the screenplay and direction navigate a narrow passage between melodrama and realism. By the time the story reaches its conclusion, only the most stubborn cynic will remain immune to these unusual heroines.

I had no idea what to expect when I walked into this film at SXSW. All I knew was that it was about a Muslim and a Jew who become friends. I figured it would be some kind of Movie of the Week type film with a sentimental "let's all get along" message, but it turned out to be a lot more complicated and interesting than that.

The main plot is that an Orthodox Jew (Zoe Lister Jones) and a Muslim (Frances Benhamou) work at a public school together, and find that their conservative lifestyles and impending arranged marriages make them have more in common with each other than anybody else at the school... even though Jews and Muslims as groups historically have some problems with each other.

It establishes the worlds of Orthodox Judaism and Islam so pitch-perfectly that the movie is fascinating just on the level of observing the lives of others. Though, to be sure, Orthodox Judaism does seem to get a bit more screen time, probably because the writer and the director both have more direct experience with Judaism than Islam. What we do see of both worlds is rife with similarities: both are marked by a reverence for history and tradition, and both are somewhat suspicious of people not members of their particular group. What the two lead women in this film hope to do is embrace the first part of their identities, while rejecting the second part.

Because this story is more concerned with character than multiple plot points, it would have failed without good performances. Luckily, the filmmakers found Lister-Jones and Benhamou to play the Jewish woman and the Muslim woman, respectively. They turn in two flawless performances, and prove themselves to be actresses to watch.

This is a delightful and thoughtful comedy.

Two supposedly diametrically opposed worlds meet in Rochel (Zoe Lister-Jones) an orthodox Jew and Nasira (Francis Benhamou) a Muslim.

Both woman are teachers who find that as they both have to find their husbands through the arranged marriage process they have more in common with each other than the secular world.

The delight is that is is a pretty straight-up great romantic comedy - Rochel keeps being set up with the wrong guys, Nasira gets the embarrassing dinner etc; of course, the road to true love is not smooth...

It really is very funny, witty - and well acted, especially Francis Benhamou as Nasira, who is stunning and positively lights up the screen with her smile.

Just a lovely film that deserves all the play it can get, and definitely deserves to be seen by anyone who loves romantic comedies.

Warmly recommended.

Arranged is a beautifully shot and written film that will pull you right into a story that we all hope happens. An Orthodox Jewish woman and a Muslim woman are both teachers who meet and become friends, learning about each other without the fraught biases that so often stop such a natural connection. In this case it's also a sensitive look at marriages often condemned as arranged and overly religious but quite often happening in a positive and consensual way. The film is quite an accomplishment. I saw it at SXSW and the audience was enthralled, teary and ultimately happy - a testament to the power of this film to help cross bridges and wipe away stereotypes.

This is really a nice movie, with highly sympathetic characters and a bit of tension between the Jewish and Muslim cultures (not too much, mind you), and a pleasant, happy, all's-well-with-the-world ending (apart from the prominent anti-male comment). But it leaves you wondering whether it isn't mostly a fantasy. Did family and neighbours really do no more than tsk-tsk at their friendship? No insults? No warnings? No threats? The young women were very family-bound and would have found it very difficult to choose friendship over family loyalty. But most of all did the two friends never talk about Israel and Palestine? How could they avoid a rift when that topic came up? Still, I suppose not every movie has to fit perfectly into reality. Arranged is a very nice feel-good movie that should have been seen more widely.

This is an engaging story that feels very real, and very important in our times when so many walls keep people from connecting with each other. It is so refreshing to have the bigger theme of cultural and religious differences treated with respect and interest, and with an absence of violence. The gradual and delicate building of the friendship between Rochel and Nasira is beautifully portrayed. And the film is funny! You don't have to be Jewish or Muslim to recognize the family dynamics, and you don't need to have attempted an "arranged" relationship to feel right into those first dates. The themes are familiar but never fall into cliché. The writing is crisp and the plot twists keep you wondering what's coming next. The two leads are excellently cast and balance each other without ever pushing for center stage. The directors had a firm sense of pacing -- they trust you to live into the often very beautiful images yourself. The film is permeated with respect -- for the story, for the viewers, for the creativity that clearly lived between the actors, and for the possibilities of real human meeting and understanding.

So, two girls from traditional families, one Jewish one Muslim, discover they have much more in common than anyone imagined. Sadly, this movie is nothing more than the heartfelt wish, of the writers and director, for how the world ought to be, not how it really is. Do not confuse this movie for reality.

The girls are attractive, the acting is good, the sentiment is sweet, and I enjoyed the scenes of Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, a place I know fairly well. But to call the movie sophomoric is to give sophomores a bad name.

Yes, of course, individuals are the same everywhere, but this explains almost nothing about the world we live in. If everybody wants to be left in peace and to mind his own business, why are there wars? Why do husbands beat wives? Why do mothers abandon children? Ethnic cleansing? Jihad? Crusades? Etc., etc., etc. The world is more complicated than two young women who want to marry for love. Considerably more complicated, and a lot nastier.

Rachel and Nasira teach 4th grade at an elementary school in Brooklyn. Early in the movie, the children wonder about the teachers working together, and one students asks, "Don't the Muslims want to kill the Jews?" and the movie is off and running with its basic message that people everywhere are the same and all the unpleasantness is just a terrible misunderstanding.

There is no misunderstanding. Lots of people have lots of ideas, and not all these ideas are sweet and generous.

One poignant moment came when Nasira rejected the first suitor her father chose for her. Her father understood (so arranged marriages are alright). Well, fathers sometimes do understand. But twelve year old Afghan and Yemeni girls marrying 40 and 50 year old men is proof that fathers sometimes do not understand.

If Stefan Schaefer and Yuta Silverman (the writers), and Diane Crespo (the director), want to do more than "imagine world peace," if they want to strike a blow for world peace, they would do us all a favor by telling how it really is, rather than concocting a fable of arranged marriages.

I saw Arranged at SXSW festival, I was somewhat skeptical of the concept beforehand but was in for a nice surprise. The film is what I'd call a chick-flick, but unfortunately I have admit I really liked it.

I could ramble on about the performances of the actors, but I'd like to talk about structure (my favorite). I'm a fan of innovative films (another reason why I should not have liked this one), but more importantly I'm a fan of films who can enter the mainstream of distribution plainness and still fly high above the "average" arena.

This film differs from the mainstream but still manages to stay in there. And that's why I liked it very much. It brings up important questions about how society labels in terms of religion, it manages to create a heartwarming relationship between girlfriends, the main character goes on a soul searching journey and most importantly the resolution is very well executed (here is where most films just fall into the pit of over-simplifying).

A good good film, surprisingly good, especially for my taste.

Sunday, 7 February 2016

Shalom. Ma nish ma? This is a great film. I wonder why I have not heard or seen it in the year of 2007 when it was released. This film is great from start to finish. It shows how two young women, one Jewish American and one Arab American who bond and develops a friendship by way of working as public teachers.

Their friendships shows how much better the world would be if only the two groups would open their hearts and minds. Arabs & Jews are in reality half brothers/half sister. The two women also have something in common with both sets of families are trying to forced each one into marrying a man they do not date, get to know nor love, henceforth the title "Arranged" or "Arranged Marriage."

I thank God that I live in great U.S. America where our parents in our society does Not force or allow their teens to marry before they are 18 or 21 and marry a man or woman, they do Not get to date and know well and most important to find things in common and physical attractions. In my opinion, 18 is to early, barely out of high school.

This film also show bigotry and racism when Rochel, the young Jewish woman brings home her Arab friend, Nasira and the same when Rochel is in the Arab home. However, in the Arab home, it seems to be a little more friendly and tolerant.

This hatred is NOT of God and Jesus Christ/Yeshua, but due to long ago feuds ever since in the Holy Bible, Abraham was married to his Jewish wife, Sarah who could not have kids. Sarah gave husband Abe permission to be with their house maid, Hagar, an Egyptian Arab woman. Abraham's first son was Ishmael by Hagar. Later on, Abe had a son with his wife, Sarah whose name was Isaac. Hagar and Ishmael was forced to leave and so the feud of hate began.

In reality, "Racism, bigotry and hate is something a child is taught, Not something a child is born with." and "True Love sees No skin color" Anyhoo, this film is excellent. I give it a 10 and two thumbs up.

Shalom, Laila Tov. La heet ra ot.

The rule of anti-stereotype game is wrong. If the "nasty" child need to change his name to enter the circle.

It follows, then, that the Jew and the Muslim must change religion in order to enter the circle.

An excellent film.

Summary: A traditional Muslim girl and Jewish girl work together at a school in Brooklyn. Together they experience what it means to adhere to religious and cultural convictions while pursuing one's happiness.

I respect the fact that both Muslims and Jews can live in harmony. I hope the world can learn from this and live in peace. I have friends of many different faiths and living in America gives us the freedom to live peacefully. Amazing. The movie accurately portrays what today's generation of religious Muslims and Jews go through in respect to family pressure and cultural convictions. I could relate to both of the characters and wished for both of the girls' happiness. I hope there are more movies like this to come, consisting of all types of cultures and religions.

This comedy/drama/romance is neither funny, dramatic, nor romantic.

The acting is wooden and amateurish, the cinematography is no better than a home movie, the editing is embarrassing, and the directing is appalling. Did I mention how awful the acting is? It's bad, really bad. It's impossible to feel any affinity for any of the characters and so difficult to care what happens in the film or to the individuals.

The script is constructed entirely of clichéd language and set pieces that make the whole movie feel disjointed and clunky. It alludes to providing insight into the age-old relationship between Jews and Muslims but doesn't expose or inform in any way.

Above all of this, the major failure is the soundtrack which is so irritating that, if you watch this film at all, you should turn the sound off and watch with subtitles.

I downloaded this from netflix wondering if it was any good. Wow is all I can say. The chemistry between the girls is incredible. It was a very believable relationship and the tribulations both go through seemed very genuine. This is a very uplifting film on many levels e.g. the relationships with the school children, the families, the suitors. I have to say that the Orthodox Jewish girl was an incredible actress, emoting intelligence and beauty. The Orthodox Muslim girl also came off as radiating happiness and intelligence. I would hope that this film gets more publicity and sets off a spark of amity between Jews and Muslims.

A fellow blog reader suggested that I watch "Arranged" (2007). It is a very nice film that I definitely recommend as well.

Arranged is about the friendship between two women- one an Orthodox Jewish school teacher and the other a Muslim one. The acting was very strong and credible and the story absorbing as the womens' relationship develops against all odds. They find similarities in their situations despite great cultural and religious divides and solace in the fact that their parents are trying to arrange marriages for both of them with candidates who as the name implies, they cannot choose.

The actresses who portray Rochel and Nosira are beautiful inside and out and made this film a true pleasure to watch. The ending was uplifting and charming; the movie all around very enjoyable.

My rating: 8 For more reviews please read http://paulinasmovies.blogspot.com