Amazon.com: A statement about borders--and the absurdity of bureaucracy--The Syrian Bride strides sucessfully between tragedy and comedy. Mona (olive-eyed Clara Khoury, Rana's Wedding) is the bride. She lives in Majdal Shams, a Druze village in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights. According to the opening title, "Druze loyalty is split between Syria and Israel." Tallel (Derar Sliman), her husband-to-be, resides in Damascus. She has never met him--though she has seen him on TV (he's a soap star). Once Mona crosses into Syria, she won't be allowed to return. Hence her wedding day begins on a somber note. Mona's family has problems of its own. Political dissident father Hammed (Makram J. Khoury, Clara's real-life paterfamilias) has recently been released from jail, and it looks as if he may be sent back again (for defying parole). Older sister Amal (Paradise Now's Hiam Abbass, who steals the show with her slow-burning intensity) is experiencing her own marital strife, while her daughter is seeing a pro-Israeli Druze. As for Mona's brothers, Hammed refuses to speak to Hattem (Eyad Sheety), who moved to Russia eight years ago and has returned for the wedding, non-Muslim wife and son in tow. And just in from shady business dealing in Italy is Marwan (Ashraf Barhom), the family screw-up, i.e. a gap-toothed charmer devoid of scruples. Directed by Israel's Eran Riklis (Borders ) and co-written by Suha Arraf, a Palestinian-Israeli, The Syrian Bride takes an occasionally schematic, if admirably even-handed look at ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Product Description: In this moving drama from Israeli filmmaker Eran Riklis a young Israeli woman engaged to a Syrian man faces the fact that marriage to her betrothed in Syria will mean she can never return to Israel. But when she gets to the border and looks set to begin a new life some surprises await her.System Requirements:Running Time: 97 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: FOREIGN/LATIN UPC: 741952307198 Manufacturer No: KLF-DV-3071
Very fast service The DVD has been sent to me from USA - and it arrived amazingly fast. I appreciate this kind of perfect service. Thank you
The Syrian Bride This movie is an amazing window into a particular Arab culture that is not shown much in the Western world. I highly recommend this movie to anyone remotely interested in the Middle East, and especially the Levantine region.
Approved I agree with the Amazon.com review that says this is a film about borders and the "absurdities of bureaucracy." Not only that, but it is a good depiction of life for the Druze of the Golan Heights. Officially part of Israel, this peculiar people mostly claims loyalty to neighboring Syria, who lost the territory in the 1967 War but still refuses to recognize Israel's dominion over it. Obviously this makes for a tense situation between the two countries and the Druze are stuck in the middle.
The story is about a bride on the Israeli side of the border who is engaged to man (whom she has never met) on the Syrian side. The first part of the film is all about the bride's family and community and the delicate inner-workings thereof. This apparently gives the viewer a good insight into the typical life of the Druze. As an American, I of course found this society to be a bit peculiar, but I'm sure they would say the same about me. The second part of the film follows the bridal party as they try to make their way through checkpoints and border stations to meet the groom in Syria. This seemingly simple process turns out to be a bureaucratic nightmare and it drives home the reality of living in such a polarized region of the world. Again as an American I found it ridiculous that such a minor thing as a stamp could cause so much difficulty, but such is life in the Golan Heights!
Overall, this was a solid film. First-rate production quality, solid acting, and intricate yet moving storyline. There wasn't any action or anything really exciting, but it was an insightful, and seemingly true-to-life film. 'The Syrian Bride' gets PK's stamp of approval.
Nationality, Undefined ~ Borders And Boundaries That Confine Us All Note: Arabic with English subtitles.
'The Syrian Bride' released in '04 is a magnificent and profound examination of the many boundaries that divide individuals, families, religious communities, political persuasions and national identities. The setting is the Golan Heights played out against the backdrop of the northern border between Israel and Syria. A community of Druze Moslems have a wedding to celebrate, the bride on the Israeli side, the groom on the Syrian side.
When the moment arrives for the bride to give up her Israeli citizenship and cross the border never to return to her homeland the myriad of difficulties that arise during her attempted crossing can be viewed on numerous of levels;
1- A fascinating political statement on the absurd and uncompromising tatics used on both sides of the border to make the crossing difficult that only worsens the attitudes of both Arab and Jew. 2- An allegorical statement on the loss of humanity and personal identity caught in the wheels of bureaucracy and national interests. 3- A symbolic image of the various types and forms of borders that divide us that can only be overcome if someone is willing to take a chance and be bold enough to take the first step towards reconcillation.
Amazing film and another superb perfomance by the lovely Hiam Abbass. My highest rating: 5 Stars!
Very enjoyable. Great story. This drama is lightened with touches of humor; it's not too heavy or too light. It is very real and humane, and the characters are likable and engaging.
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