The Syrian Bride (2005)
83%RT Audience Score:
Awards & Nominations: 8 wins & 15 nominations
The Syrian Bride is a film that deftly weaves together the complexities of politics, bureaucracy, and familial relationships in a way that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. While some may find the characters difficult to warm up to, the film’s honest portrayal of situations rarely seen in the news is a winner. Director Eran Riklis performs a delicate balancing act, juggling multiple plotlines with a terrific cast that brings compassion and sympathy to even the most divisive issues. It’s a lovely little film that puts a big, big bite on some very large issues, and as enjoyable a piece of cultural satire as any that’s come out of this highly troubled region.
The Syrian Bride is a movie that’s as confusing as it is entertaining. It’s like a political drama and a soap opera had a baby, and that baby grew up to be a movie. The characters are a bit hard to warm up to, but the movie gives us a glimpse into situations we never see in the news. It’s like a delicate balancing act, but with a half-dozen plotlines. And let’s not forget the lovely wedding that puts a big, big bite on some very large issues. Overall, it’s an engrossing absurdist comedy that’s worth a watch, even if it’s unrelentingly pedantic and utterly humorless at times.
Production Company(ies)
Channel Four Films, Ci By 2000 Thin Man Films,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Golan Heights, Israel
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
2004
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):Arabic, English, Hebrew, Russian, French
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Dec 20, 2005
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Hiam Abbass, Makram J Khoury, Clara Khoury, Ashraf Barhom, Eyad Sheety, Evelyn Kaplun, directed by Eran Riklis, written by Suha Arraf, Eran Riklis, drama, $375.6K box office, Dolby Digital sound mix, reviewed by Jeff Strickler, Marjorie Baumgarten, Carrie Rickey, Ruthe Stein, Marta Barber, Kenneth Turan, Maria Garcia, Chris Hewitt, Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Bob Strauss, political drama, soap opera, Druze bride-to-be, Israel, Syria, political unrest, wedding planning, family tensions, Golan Heights, cultural satire, personal impact of politics, Suha Arraf, Eran Riklis, Bettina Brokemper, Antoine de Clermont-Tonnerre, Michael Eckelt, MPAA rating
Worldwide gross: $1,522,967
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $2,402,460
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,364
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 261,991
US/Canada gross: $380,505
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $600,241
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,286
US/Canada opening weekend: $7,235
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $11,413
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,676
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Makram Khoury – Hammed
Clara Khoury – Mona
Ashraf Barhom – Marwan
Eyad Sheety – Hattem
Evelyn Kaplun – Evelyna
Director(s)
Eran Riklis
Writer(s)
Suha Arraf, Eran Riklis
Producer(s)
Bettina Brokemper, Antoine de Clermont-Tonnerre, Eran Riklis, Michael Eckelt
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
8 wins & 15 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (42) | Top Critics (26) | Fresh (36) | Rotten (6)
Political dramas and soap operas don’t have much in common, which makes this hybrid as surprising as it is entertaining.
June 22, 2006 | Rating: 3/4
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune
TOP CRITIC
While the film’s depiction of bureaucratic frustrations and familial woe are universal, the characters themselves can be difficult to warm up to and often seem as arid as their surroundings.
May 20, 2006 | Rating: 3/5
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
An engrossing absurdist comedy.
May 19, 2006 | Rating: 3/4
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
A thoughtful and engaging film set in the turbulent Golan Heights.
May 12, 2006 | Rating: 3/4
Ruthe Stein
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
This Israeli film gives us an honest look at situations we never see in the news. It may have too many flaws to be a good film, but for its content, it is a winner.
April 21, 2006 | Rating: 2.5/4
Marta Barber
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
It is written, directed and acted with real compassion and sympathy for the humanity of its characters, no matter who they are or on what side of these multiple issues they turn out to be.
April 20, 2006 | Rating: 4.5/5
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
The narrative remains on the surface, executed between the cliche and the predictable. [Full review in Spanish]
July 20, 2020 | Rating: 6/10
Yasser Medina
Cinemaficionados
Unrelentingly pedantic, it’s also utterly humorless.
March 1, 2007
Maria Garcia
Film Journal International
Riklis performs a delicate balancing act, juggling a half-dozen plotlines, each of which is made vivid by his terrific cast.
June 22, 2006 | Rating: 3.5/4
Chris Hewitt
St. Paul Pioneer Press
An extraordinary Israeli film that is unlike any other wedding film ever made!
June 6, 2006 | Rating: 4/5
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality & Practice
It’s a lovely little film that puts a big, big bite on some very large issues.
April 21, 2006 | Rating: 3.5/4
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News
As enjoyable a piece of cultural satire as any that’s come out of this highly troubled region.
April 7, 2006 | Rating: 3/5
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals…
Plot
A Druze bride-to-be faces political and familial obstacles when her father wants her to marry a Syrian comedian, potentially forcing her to leave her home on the border of Israel and Syria permanently, in the drama film “The Syrian Bride.”
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film stars Hiam Abbass, Makram Khoury, and Clara Khoury.
Eran-Riklis.jpg
