By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.25 cats
Director: Eran Riklis
Starring: Adnan Tarabshi | Ashraf Barhom | Evelyn Kaplun | Eyad Sheety | Hiam Abbass | Makram Khoury
Country: france, germany, israel
Year: 2006
Running time: 97
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0423310/
Bruce says: “The setting of THE SYRIAN BRIDE is the Golan Heights where the Syrian population numbered 147,000 when captured by Israel in1967. Held under military authority until 1981, Israel offered citizenship or permanent residency to the residents. Today the Syrian population is only 17,000, most all in five Druze villages near the border. Political talk shows feature abstruse discussions about the International Court of Justice declaring that Israel has violated the Geneva Convention. The UN Security Council determines that the Israeli settlements in captured areas are illegal. Meanwhile most of us have no idea who lives in these areas and what kind of lives they lead.
“The title character is a young woman named Mona who has already suffered a failed marriage and is now embarking on an adventure, an arranged marriage with a cousin in Syria who is a famous TV star. The groom is not allowed in Israel so the festivities in the Golan Heights involve only the bride and her family. Once Mona leaves, she and her family will never see each other again. The problem she faces is that Israel will not let her out without stamping her exit papers and Syria will not let her in if her papers have an Israeli stamp. Through her plight and surrounding family melodrama, director Riklis presents this story in terms of everyday human issues as well as border disputes.
“Amal, Mona’s older sister is equally important to the story. Caught in a loveless marriage her husband (Adnan Tarabshi) does not appreciate his wife’s independence. ‘You humiliate yourself and me,’ he tells her. In bittersweet moments she supports her sister’s marriage and counsels her own daughter to not repeat the mistakes Druze women have made with their lives, telling her ‘I’ve always missed my chance.’ Amal has applied to Haifa University and has been accepted but she keeps that secret to herself to avoid upstaging the wedding festivities. Adding a bit of spice to the plot, the Israeli police are following the family activities because Mona’s father (Makram Khoury) is a closely tracked political activist. Mona’s brother (Eyad Sheety) returns from Russia creating great tension with his father who has not forgiven him for leaving their homeland and marrying an outsider. Another brother (Ashraf Barhom), a womanizing import/export entrepreneur, arrives from Italy. Many accounts need to be settled.
“Hiam Abass (SATIN ROUGE, MUNICH and PARADISE NOW) defines her character perfectly – inwardly rebellious and outwardly compromising. Clara Khoury aptly plays a disturbingly conflicted bride. The supporting cast is excellent. In assessing THE SYRIAN BRIDE, comparisons will inevitably be made to PARADISE NOW a film which covers some of the same topics. THE SYRIAN BRIDE has tensions of its own but, unlike PARADISE NOW, it is a gentle comedy, not a thriller. Both films help further understanding of complex problems in occupied territories, problems which documentaries and nightly news shows rarely personalize. 4.5 cats”
Michael says: “Catching up on eligible 2006 films that I missed, I watched THE SYRIAN BRIDE on DVD tonight. Israeli director Eran Riklis has created an absurd yet poignant comedic family drama. Mona and her family live in Golan Heights, a part of Israel that is occupied by Syria. It’s Mona’s wedding day; she is to be married to a famous Syrian TV star whom she has never met. The problem is, since she is Israeli and he is Syrian, they cannot celebrate their marriage together. Mona’s family celebrates her wedding without a groom, then proceed to the border where the two families are separated by 1000 feet or so and paperwork is transferred between the two security gates via a French UN worker. Once Mona enters Syria, she will never be permitted to see her family again. The true problem arises after Mona’s ID is stamped by the Israelis who will no longer allow her in the country, but the Syrians will not allow her in the country with her ID stamped by the Israelis. Sound absurd? Riklis does a wonderful job highlighting the insanity of the conflict while underlining the way it tears families apart.
“But while Mona is the Syrian bride, the true story Riklis is telling belongs to Amal, Mona’s older sister. Trapped in a loveless marriage and recently accepted into University, Amal struggles between the fierce independence she feels, and the obliging acquiescence she lives with toward her husband. She urges her sister and her daughter not to repeat her mistakes yet in the end perhaps she finally finds triumph. Amal is played wonderfully by Hiam Abbas, who was riveting in a supporting role in this year’s FREE ZONE. There is drama throughout Amal’s family, with a brother returning after 8 years when he married a Russian woman and was disowned by the village elders, another brother who is involved with some suspect import/export business, and the family patriarch who is under scrutiny by the police for his political advocacy. Riklis weaves together a rich and moving story with his touches of absurd bringing laughs to the seriousness of their plight. Interesting note: Evelyn Kaplun who plays the Russian wife of Amal’s brother, starred in the Israeli film YANA’S FRIENDS, a Chlotrudis nominee for Buried Treasure in 2003. 4 cats”