Alguém que Me Ame de Verdade

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.