Dotsthavesp I wanted to but couldn't!

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

pegasus3 Rochel, an Orthodox Jew, and Nasira, a devout Muslim, are two teachers at a Brooklyn elementary school who become close friends. Both are facing attempts by their respective families to arrange their marriages according to each individual's respective religious customs. The situation is made more complex by virtue of the fact that both women are strong willed individuals, and, along with the arranged marriage issue, also face together the conflict of social prejudices from people within each of their ethnic backgrounds in conjunction with their close friendship and association. Rochel is the more rebellious of the two, chafing at the bit when her parents engage her in the Orthodox Jewish ritual of matchmaking while Nasira is a bit more accepting of her religion's marriage customs. The film subsequently develops into an amazing and charming dissection of their experiences both as friends and as members of two quite different cultural and religious backgrounds. The actresses who play Rochel and Nasira are outstanding and give the film the necessary impetus to fully engage the viewer and achieve acceptance of what eventually leads into a happy ending for both women.

supzz It is not often that one gets to see films dealing with intense, political issues such as feminist and religious identity, and that too with an interesting storyline, well sketched characters, confident craft and decent performances. And when such a film falters, markedly on its politics, the disappointment is profound. This is the case with Arranged, which had all the makings of an indie classic, and was an absolutely beautiful watch till… ah well, the end! The film is set in New York and is woven around the lives of two young women, Nasira, a Muslim and and Rochel, an orthodox Jew, who are teachers and happen to join the same school. They soon become friends, partly because they share some classes, but also because they have something in common, which is their reverence to religion. What binds them even more is their ongoing struggle with meeting prospective grooms from their own communities, as arranged by the family.Their religious identity and perhaps conformity is a constant source of irritation for the school principal, who reminds them of the women's movement and urges them to exert their freedom and choice, including in the matter of marriage. But her brief sermons leave them rather cold, as they feel that choice is indeed available to them and that a blanket rejection of all that is traditional is unreasonable. Even as they participate in the ritual of groom hunting, they also question it many times, but only till "Mr Perfect" comes along. Then they happily get married and their faith in "God's will" is reinforced.Such an end is somewhat perplexing and even disturbing. It is true that today when religious minorities everywhere often suffer pressure or prosecution to integrate in the 'majoritarian mainstream', their right to preserve their religious identity and traditions needs much bolstering. It is also true that feminism itself has many shades and the western liberal framework may not understand or explain the plurality of feminist experiences and expressions. To that extent, the film sensitively addresses a critical issue of diversity and religious tolerance. But religious and the traditions they sanction cannot be impervious to criticism, for these can well be violent and violate the most fundamental of human rights, especially of women, who are often burdened to be the carriers of these traditions.'Arranged marriage' may perhaps not seem an urgent human rights issue, especially in the way it is represented here, where women do have a say in whether they like a suitor, and where they eventually find a partner of their choice. But even a glance outside this somewhat cosy narrative reveals darker stories. In India, where I come from, this institution of arranged marriage is ubiquitous, which is mostly an arrangement made by parents to keep the purity of their status, religion and caste intact, and which is often the only choice available to the majority of young women. If these women do reject this tradition and find a partner of their choice, they can face extreme consequences, such as even 'honour killings'. Not to mention that a high percentage of married women in India suffer from some kind of domestic violence but are unable to break away due to pressures of family to adjust and compromise. Given that all these marriages are religiously solemnized, a big question hangs on whether the will of family or god is always right!There is little doubt that marriages arranged by self or family can equally be a success or failure, and that any choice is always mediated by constraints. But this film, in its happy resolution, misses this point, and ends up glorifying traditions and institutions that bear very heavy on women in most parts of the world, and which therefore need much resistance and defiance. While the film carries a valuable message of friendship and tolerance, but sadly it fails on its gender politics.

jeromec-2 What a remarkable film. I cannot tell you anything about who made it, why it was made, who financed it, who the main actors were and what they've done before this.I cannot say anything much about the music, the setting, or the technical details that make a great film. None of those details matter.What does matter is that it is an engaging film that speaks of the only way that Jews and Muslims are ever going to solve their difficulties.It must begin with women and not just ordinary women, but women of great incite and tolerance and dare I use the word, love.Both cultures have the word in their religion's vocabulary. The film seems to be saying learn what it means, and how to use it. The film takes for granted that both these women know what friendship means. They are bound not so much by their differences as their similarities.Basically, the plot revolves around two modern women (or at least women who have grown up in a modern world) of vastly different backgrounds. They meet at the school where they will both be teaching. One, a Muslim, has been assigned a regular grade 4 class and the other, a Jew, has been assigned to special Education - her main assignment seems to be a blind boy who understands the workings of the soul almost as well as his teacher. Certainly, he is more practical and a lot more jovial.The grade 4 class brings the problem into direct focus. They have obviously watched too much Fox News. They think that all Jews have horns (according to their Arab Neighbors) and all Arabs are bloodthirsty terrorists (according to the Jewish media). These two women work together on an idea developed by the Special Ed teacher to show that prejudice can be overcome by groups that don't allow hatred and ugly connotative words to develop at inflexibly deep levels.The scenes that follow all have to do with welcoming strangers into one's home (The Muslim family does, the Jewish one does not), choices in marriage (both girls have a problem with this, but only the Jewish woman has a problem with her family as well) or the talk that binds their friendship.I know that life is not that simple, but if we do not find alternatives to the hatred in the planet, then we will live in a hate-infested planet. Someone has to have the courage to write and speak about what can be done, not what is done. We need hopes, not 6:00 news. We need laughter and understanding, not tears and hatred. We need what this film offers.I gave this film a 10 because it offered us choices, and it did so in a way that compromises nothing of our beliefs, and did everything it could to enhance our humanity. It did it with humor, good will, common sense and a little bit of cunning, but just a little.

thejimhale 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.