The Syrian Bride - movie reviews and information

Strife in Middle East means something else to 'The Syrian Bride'
by Eleanor Ringel Gillespie

There's very little undefined about "The Syrian Bride," directed by veteran Israeli filmmaker, Eran Riklis, and written by him and Suha Arraf, a Palestinian television journalist. Like so many films with a Mideast setting, the events portrayed are a thinly veiled metaphor for the political unrest in the region. Yet, at the same time, with all the family tensions and reunions and whatever else comes with the matrimonial territory, the movie is also very much "My Big Fat Druze Wedding." Read the full review

TO SUM UP
Mona's wedding day was the saddest day of her life. She knew that once she crossed the border between Israel and Syria to marry Tallel, she would never be able to go back to her family in Majdal Shams, a Druze village in the Israeli occupied Golan Heights.

FILM FACTS ...

Koch Lorber Films

'The Syrian Bride'

Director: Eran Riklis
Starring: Clara Khoury, Makram Khouri
Run time: 97 minutes
Release date: Nov. 16, 2005
Rating: Not rated.
Language: In Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles.

On the web
Official movie site

READ THE REVIEW

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: B
"The ensemble cast is generally strong, but (Hiam) Abbass, who played the mother of one of the suicide bombers in Paradise Now, is a standout."

Read the full review

Austin American-Statesman: 2 of 5 stars
"Filmmakers Eran Riklis and Suha Arraf ... might believe they've made a comedy, but most Westerners will probably disagree."