Analysis of The Syrian Bride Film - Movie Review Example

?VIDEO RESPONSE: The Syrian Bride The Syrian Bride (2004) is one of the most critically acclaimed films to have come out of Israel. It rounded the international film festivals circuit and has been considered the most successful Israeli film so far, at least in terms of the number of awards received. The story, when read from its promotional pamphlet or the way it was presented in its posters, seems plain enough, it was an interesting roadtrip of a bride to meet his betrothed, wherein in the process, she was to cross the Israeli-Syrian border and deal with the bureaucratic complexities that came with the two countries’ strained relations. It also forms part of the growing films on border-crossing as much as the Mexican migration became a dominant cinematic theme for both the US and Mexico. (Maciel and Garcia-Acevedo, p. 148) To say this, however, is tantamount to merely scratching the surface. The Syrian Bride is more than its obvious storyline. It is peppered with important themes and social issues that permeate in Israel today as well as its relations with its neighboring Arab countries. Plot The film depicted the story of Mona (Clara Khoury), a Druze woman living in Golan Heights, who in an arranged marriage, must travel to meet his groom, Tallel (Derar Sliman), in Syria. Everything was pretty straightforward, starting from the wedding festivities unto the wedding itself, which would take place at the border. Mona had to bid her family farewell and cross the border. It is at this point, however, wherein the story took an interesting turn. Israel and Syria do not maintain any diplomatic relations. In addition, both countries are claiming Golan Heights. Ebert (2006), in his review, expressed the dilemma in word best as he stated that Mona’s problem “is that Syria considers her to be already in Syria, and Israel considers her to be in Israel” and “how can she cross from a place one side says does not exist to a place the other side says does not exist?” The bureaucratic tangle was further complicated by the fact that Syria does not recognize Israeli passport, effectively barring Mona from entering the country. The entire caper was already comedic as the protagonist and the Salman family untangle their way to their destination. Symbolism Writing for the New York Times, Stephen Holden (2005) remarked that The Syrian Bride and its depiction of the impenetrable border symbolized all that’s wrong in the Middle East. This wrongness in bordered the ridiculous as complex norms and procedures applied at either side of the border defy logic, understanding and implementation. As has been shown by the film, everything was in fact insane. There are vague and conflicting security and political considerations resulting in a solid deadlock to which an Israeli border patrol officer could merely shrug in sympathy and perhaps in his own confusion as well. The entire caper disputed the opening claim of sadness for the whole film, making the film, in itself, hilarious with ridiculousness of Mona’s situation. The politics and the bureaucracy involved in the border defy reason and can actually victimize even the most fundamental and innocent needs and desires of people affected. In most respects, this situation is the same with the way relations between Israel and its neighboring countries are conducted – enforcing ridiculous legal norms and violating human rights in the process, just so security and political considerations could be satisfied. Apolitical More than anything, the film does not have a political agenda. It did not talk about which side of the fence – Israel or Syria – is correct, much less attack policymaking that would pit the two countries or their positions on several issues against each other. There was no suggestion of peace and/or some outright diplomatic resolution to the strained bi-partisan relationship or something to this effect. If there was some politics involved, it was, in the words of Ebert, just nibbling around the edges, “engaging our tendency to take a big political position and then undermine it with humanitarian exceptions.” Director, Eran Riklis, who was also the writer of the tale, merely wanted to tell the story of a young woman and the problem she encountered with the bureaucracy of the two countries. It did not attempt to explore further than what the film was about. And so, the themes were confined to the issues revolving around Mona, the Druze family and the border crossing. If there is some semblance to a political tone or cause to this film, it would have to be the fact the film was a collaboration between Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers and actors. According to Kuriansky, this phenomenon, is in itself a type of “border crossing” – one that helps show that borders shouldn’t matter. (p. 174) On Arranged Marriage One of the most obvious issues tackled was that of arranged marriage. Mona had never set eyes on Tallel before and that it was her father and her family who managed to have her engaged with another family located in another country. For most audiences, particularly in Western societies, such tradition is repressive and deemed unfit in the context of individual rights and happiness. But this thinking has not been obsessively explored here. Mona’s family was educated and that her sister was even depicted as very independent. The first part of the film took pains in depicting Mona’s sadness in her wedding but she nonetheless accepted her father and her family’s decision. This highlighted the degree to which the film took this side of the issue to heart because it was also bent on presenting another side to it. A Druze girl leaves her family, married off to someone she does not only love but also had never seen, in order to honor family tradition. Riklis, in addition demonstrated a deeper meaning to this issue that one which makes it easier for a Druze to accede to arranged marriage knowing that a bride leaves her family to live with another across the border just so two families are drawn together by a sense of solidarity that shatters the barriers posed by the factors such as the incomprehensible conflict happening in their homeland. Gender, Family and Culture Along with the issue of arranged marriage, there was also sufficient attention devoted to gender, family and culture. Interestingly, it was Mona’s elder sister, Amal, who represented the first variable best. Mona was an obedient daughter. Even though she considered her marriage as unfortunate, she was resigned to leaving decision making to her family with regards to her married life. Amal was different. As previously mentioned, she was characterized as an independent woman, often defying her husband in pursuing her own career and dreams. Amal was an interesting ingredient thrown in the tightly knit and highly conservative Druze family. All things considered, she somehow depicted the story of women who, according to Johnson, had to balance her fading strength between a controlling husband, desperate sister, and a headstrong father, demonstrating that “fissures within the family are more urgent, and often weightier, than those of the political realm.” The side story of the patriarch, Hammed Salman (Makram Khoury), explored the issues of family and culture. First, there were the issues relating to his two sons – both living abroad and have only returned for Mona’s wedding. Hammed’s relationship with his elder son Hattem (Eyad Sheety), is particularly interesting. Hattem disobeyed his father and married a Russian wife earlier, earning his father a censure from the tribal elders. Hammed refuses to speak to him, still fuming even after seven years, exacerbated by the fact the tribal elders threatened to boycott the wedding. This last variable also underscore the cultural underpinnings of the arrange marriage and the influence of the Druze culture and traditions to the lives of those within its community. Solving the Dilemma Although it is not very obvious, but it can be interpreted that Riklis is offering a unique insight with regards to the Israeli-Arab relations and Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In The Syrian Bride, he used a female protagonist and strong female characters in order to circumvent the dilemma that plague the border crossing and all the difficulties it represent. At one point, the troubleshooter in the whole bureaucratic mess, calling officials both in Jerusalem and Damascus with mounting frustration but with obvious efficiency, was the Red Cross volunteer Jeanne (Julie-Anne Roth). It underscored a feminine solution to the problem. Mona’s experience demonstrated how the female narrative and the female story could be characterized by a kind of determination, solidarity and tradition that could address the problems that has so far failed to be solved by testosterone-driven approaches implemented by all countries involved, particularly in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. All in all, the film was a family affair, exploring the usual familial themes of conflict. What made the entire story special and complicated is the fact that these variables were aggravated by the political and cultural factors such as the differences in legal norms and divided loyalties of the characters. Then again, Rikklis was able to effectively explore most of these, if not all, according to his own terms. Like many Hollywood immigration films, it featured tales of origin as well as potent ideological constructs. (Maciel and Garcia-Acevedo, p. 151) The result was a surprisingly effective film that did not further divide its audiences into antagonizing forces that contributes to polarization on issues raised. Instead, it allowed them to entertain the idea that there is hope in finding solution to the conflict when the human spirit refused to be weighed down. References Ebert, R. (2006). "The Syrian Bride" Sun Times Online. Retrieved March 7, 2011, from http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060406/REVIEWS/604060307/1023 Holden, S. (2005). "The Syrian Bride (2004) The Thing She Carried: A Bride's Passport to No Man's Land"New York Times. Retrieved March 6, 2011, from http://movies.nytimes.com/2005/11/16/movies/16brid.html?_r=1 Johnson, R. (2005). “The Syrian Bride.” Harvard University Center for Middle Eastern Studies. Retrieved March 7 2011, from . Kuriansky, J. (2007). Beyond bullets and bombs. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group. Read More