Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict

AutCuddly Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

Aubrey Hackett While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

ritu_ruch Arranged is a adorable little film,I feel so delighted when I watch movies like this so pure,lovely with some touching moments.The film promotes unity of people from all religion without being preachy or boring.Its so heartwarming brings a smile on your face and you wish the world could be such a nice and beautiful place to live in.The acting by the Jew and Muslim girl was really cute and natural and their problem of not being able to meet the right life partner while meeting all the perspective grooms is a delight to watch and also their small little conversation together,their concern for each other esp when the Muslim girl helps the Jew girl find a life partner is sooo touching.We need more wonderful films like this and more people should watch such peace and love promoting films which teach us that we must love one another irrespective of our religion and should not be selfish.Watch arranged its a gem,a special mention to the producer and director for making this film.

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.

tigerfish50 Nasira and Rochel are the daughters of a Koranic scholar and Orthodox Jewish fathers beginning their teaching careers at a NY elementary school, who are drawn together by their common experience of belonging to conservative religious communities. The film's title focuses on the issue of arranged marriage, but the two women are only subjected to fairly mild forms of arm-twisting associated with this patriarchal custom. The main theme is their friendship across a cultural divide, which provides support as they resist the school principal's disapproval of their beliefs and parental pressure to marry.Nasira's father is portrayed as a traditionalist who simply cannot envision his daughter's future without marriage and children. He offers only minimal resistance when Nasira rejects his chosen prospect - and the father-daughter relationship appears to be strengthened by the episode. Meanwhile Rochel resists a comical onslaught from her mother and a gaggle of marriage arrangers when they present her with a parade of socially inept suitors. Her mother bullies her with warnings about family disgrace and lifelong spinsterhood, and blames her for her father's rising blood pressure.Francis Benhamou and Zoe Lister Jones deliver fine performances as Nasira and Rochel. They are backed up by their support cast as the screenplay and direction navigate a narrow passage between melodrama and realism. By the time the story reaches its conclusion, only the most stubborn cynic will remain immune to these unusual heroines.

Neil Turner Arranged is a feel-good movie with a message. The story concerns two young women who are teachers in a Brooklyn, New York, elementary school. Nasira, the teacher of the fourth grade class is a woman from a traditional Muslim family. Rochel - from an Orthodox Jewish family - is the special needs aid from a legally blind boy in the class. The students raise the question as to whether the two hate each other because it is the understanding that all Jews hate and want to kill all Muslims and vice-versa. The two women become close friends while working together to dispel these prejudicial thoughts of the students.Both of these young women are bright, caring people in touch with society, but they are both from traditional families that share the common tradition of arranged marriages. Thus, they are both suffering the crisis of being modern, vital women bound to a tradition of an ancient time. However, they are both respectful of the tradition and their families.I must admit that watching this film was somewhat of an education for me. Personally, I pretty much disdain the practices of organized religions because history has witnessed so much harm committed in their names, but seeing these two young women work out their problems was very insightful. There is an interesting character in the film who pretty much expresses my thoughts - and probably the thoughts of many others not privy to the intimate feelings of those who observe the guidelines of traditional religions. The character is Principal Jacoby. She cannot understand why these two smart young women would harness themselves to traditions that are so far removed from modern society and liberated women. Unfortunately, Jacoby's thoughts are expressed in a less-than-cordial way - shocking but with a comic touch.An ironic twist to this film for me comes from a recent conversation with my brother. He's not as avid a television drama watcher as myself and was saying to me recently that he hadn't watched much on television lately, but when he did, it seemed that it was usually some program from the Law and Order stable of shows. After I had watched Arranged, I happened across a Law and Order repeat in which the actress who played Rochel was featured. I had already recognized the actress who plays Principal Jacoby as a repeating character on the series, so I decided to do some research. Of the fourteen leading actors in Arranged, nine have appeared in some form of Law and Order, and some have played repeating characters. One of the major reasons that the Law and Order programs have been continuing successes is the quality of the acting. That quality extends to Arranged.Principal Jacoby is played by Marcia Jean Kurtz whose most memorable Law and Order role was that of Carla Lowenstein - first played in 1990 and reprised in 2004. She played the emotionally abused wife of a noted doctor who abused and murdered his child. I cannot remember the names of the "ripped from the headlines" real doctor and wife, but Kurtz's performance was shocking and unforgettable. In Arranged, she shows her considerable range.Rochel is played by Zoe Lister Jones who gives us a woman who is outwardly shy but in possession of keen insight and an independent spirit to be truly admired. She is a beautiful and highly competent actor.Francis Benhamou (not a Law and Order alum) plays Nasira as a woman bound to tradition but with a spark and wit not to be dimmed by obstacles that arise. She is a delight to watch in this role.The DVD is distributed by Film Movement (filmmovement.com). If you are interested in independent films, you might wish to check them out. I have not always enjoyed the selections of this group but one thing I can say is that all of their films are certainly interesting.Many people feel is that you cannot take seriously a movie with a happy ending because life in general does not have a happy ending. I generally tend to agree that most lives do not have happy endings but there's nothing that says we cannot enjoy the thought. Arranged certainly gives you that enjoyment.