"Syrian Bride" a film by Eran Riklis.
James and I watched this film the other evening, by the same director as "The Lemon Tree". Eran, like Atom Egoyan, uses many of the same actors in his films, so many of the faces in this film were still fresh in our minds from "The Lemon Tree".
The bride to be, Mona, will never again be permitted to visit her family in the Golan Heights, nor will she ever be able to leave Syria once married. Mona has yet to meet her groom to be, this being an arranged marriage, as is such the case still in many cultures around the world. Mona has many other circumstances facing her, her father is a recently released political prisoner, by the Israelis, her father does not accept her brother, who has returned with his Russian wife, and their son. The village elders have created all types of situations that will make everyone's life miserable. On what should be the happiest day of her life, poor Mona is not the Happy Bride.
The entire family makes the brief voyage to the border crossing, where due to unforseen events Mona is left standing in "No Man's Land" for the longest time - the Syrians won't accept the stamp on her ID card, the Israelis won't let her leave without it, and the UN agent is sent back and forth trying to work things out, only to be met by a new Syrian who starts the process all over again. With her family on the Israeli side and her husband to be's family on the Syrian side, Mona finally makes a bold decision.
This was another interesting film by Eran, but I prefer "The Lemon Tree" over this one. Perhaps you will find try it, and let me know what you think.
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