Movie: The Syrian Bride

I was a little disappointed here. Rather than a movie centering around the Arab-Israeli conflict, which is what I thought it would be based on advertising, it focused specifically on the occupation of the Golan Heights and the effects this has on the people there. A Druze woman (click that link, it's worth reading about a religion that's almost unheard-of to folks in the US) in Golan is marrying a Syrian man, and the wedding parties are meeting at the border so she can cross. Various familial things threaten the day's peace: an expatriate brother who married a Russian and was cast out of the village; a father who cannot approach the border or he'll be arrested; a sister who's squabbling with her husband; another brother who thinks he's some kind of pimp. In fact, the Bride herself has about fifteen lines in the entire film, and although you can tell she doesn't want to leave her family forever (once you cross the border, Israel will not let you back) that is barely explored compared to the rest of the familial conflicts.

It was OK, but not as advertised. Would recommend as an interest-film only.