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The Syrian Bride

Hiam Abbass (Actor), Makram Khoury (Actor), Eran Riklis (Director, Writer) Rated:
NR
Format: DVD
4.2 out of 5 stars 55 ratings
IMDb6.0/10.0
$9.73
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October 13, 2023 		—
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Genre Foreign, Kids & Family, Drama, Military & War
Format Multiple Formats, Color, Dolby, Content/Copy-Protected CD, Widescreen, NTSC, Subtitled
Contributor Suha Arraf, Makram Khoury, Eyad Sheety, Hiam Abbass, Antoine de Clermont-Tonnerre, Clara Khoury, Ashraf Barhom, Eran Riklis See more
Language English, French, Hebrew, Russian
Runtime 1 hour and 37 minutes

Product Description

Product Description

Mona’s wedding day is the saddest day of her life. She knows that once she crosses the border between Israel and Syria to get married, she will never be allowed back to her beloved family in the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel since 1967. Once you cross the border there is no way back and at the end of a long day, the family, the government and military officials and all those gathered on both sides of the border find themselves facing an uncertain future, trapped in No-Man’s land between Israel and Syria.

Awards:
Winner 2004 Montreal World Film Festival; FIPRESCI Prize
Winner 2004 Montreal World Film Festival; Grand Prix des Amériques
Winner 2004 Montreal World Film Festival; People’s Choice Award
Winner 2004 Montreal World Film Festival; Prize of the Ecumenical Jury
Winner 2004 Locarno International Film Festival; Audience Award
Winner 2004 Flanders International Film Festival; Audience Award
Winner 2004 Flanders International Film Festival; Best Screenplay

Amazon.com

A statement about borders--and the absurdity of bureaucracy--The Syrian Bride strides sucessfully between tragedy and comedy. Mona (olive-eyed Clara Khoury, Rana's Wedding) is the bride. She lives in Majdal Shams, a Druze village in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights. According to the opening title, "Druze loyalty is split between Syria and Israel." Tallel (Derar Sliman), her husband-to-be, resides in Damascus. She has never met him--though she has seen him on TV (he's a soap star). Once Mona crosses into Syria, she won't be allowed to return. Hence her wedding day begins on a somber note. Mona’s family has problems of its own. Political dissident father Hammed (Makram J. Khoury, Clara's real-life paterfamilias) has recently been released from jail, and it looks as if he may be sent back again (for defying parole). Older sister Amal (Paradise Now’s Hiam Abbass, who steals the show with her slow-burning intensity) is experiencing her own marital strife, while her daughter is seeing a pro-Israeli Druze. As for Mona’s brothers, Hammed refuses to speak to Hattem (Eyad Sheety), who moved to Russia eight years ago and has returned for the wedding, non-Muslim wife and son in tow. And just in from shady business dealing in Italy is Marwan (Ashraf Barhom), the family screw-up, i.e. a gap-toothed charmer devoid of scruples. Directed by Israel's Eran Riklis (Borders ) and co-written by Suha Arraf, a Palestinian-Israeli, The Syrian Bride takes an occasionally schematic, if admirably even-handed look at ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Product details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 2.35:1
  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.75 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches; 3.2 ounces
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Eran Riklis
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ NTSC, Multiple Formats, Content/Copy-Protected CD, Dolby, Color, Subtitled, Widescreen
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 37 minutes
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Hiam Abbass, Makram Khoury, Clara Khoury, Ashraf Barhom, Eyad Sheety
  • Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
  • Producers ‏ : ‎ Antoine de Clermont-Tonnerre
  • Language ‏ : ‎ Arabic (Dolby Digital 2.0)
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Koch Lorber Films
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000EHQ7JC
  • Writers ‏ : ‎ Eran Riklis, Suha Arraf
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 55 ratings

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
55 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this movie to be of good quality, with one review highlighting its first-rate production. Moreover, the film receives positive feedback for its cultural representation, with one customer describing it as an amazing window into Arab culture. Additionally, the storyline receives praise for its intricate and moving narrative.

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Movie qualityCultureStoryline
11 customers mention "Movie quality"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the movie good, with one review highlighting its first-rate production quality and another noting it's a nice film filmed in Israel about a wedding.

"...It's a film for the thoughtful." Read more

"...Overall, this was a solid film. First-rate production quality, solid acting, and intricate yet moving storyline...." Read more

"...Good photography, with great landscape shots, as well as adorable close-ups of the Syrian bride......" Read more

"This was an ok movie, Did point out what can happen when 2 countries are not getting along, I just feel the movie was not developed properly." Read more

6 customers mention "Culture"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate how the film portrays Arab culture, with one customer noting it captures the feel of the region, while another mentions the adorable close-ups of the Syrian bride.

"...Not only that, but it is a good depiction of life for the Druze of the Golan Heights...." Read more

"...photography, with great landscape shots, as well as adorable close-ups of the Syrian bride......" Read more

"...It shows beautifully the culture of the area." Read more

"This is a pretty interesting film about an area you don't hear a lot about in the news...." Read more

5 customers mention "Storyline"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the intricate and moving storyline of the film, with one customer highlighting its true-to-life portrayal of family dynamics and interactions.

"...This film had the added emotional dimension of marriage and the accompanying social and family pressures. I laughed at times; at others I cried...." Read more

"...really exciting, but it was an insightful, and seemingly true-to-life film. 'The Syrian Bride' gets PK's stamp of approval." Read more

"...just real people in real situations. Family dynamics and interactions, both pro and con, take center stage in this terrific and very human drama." Read more

"This was a good story about the Druze in Syria crossing into Israel." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Medusa
    5.0 out of 5 stars "Identity: unidentified"
    Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    The Syrian bride is a Druze woman from the Golan Heights, (Syrian land that fell under Israeli occupation in 1967) who is getting married to a Druze man, who lives in Syria.

    While getting to know the members of the bride's family, one can observe the struggle of people who are still loyal to the government of Syria but living under the authority of Israeli government. Once the movie gets to the point where she has to cross the border where the Israeli officials insist on stamping the passport as coming from Israel, and the Syrian officials insist on rejecting the stamp because the Golan Heights are Syrian land. Watching the detail that vacillate between bitter and comic, and wondering who's more stubborn, the Israelis or the Syrian, I was thrilled that the director chose to give an open ending, just like the struggle of these people.

    This work witnesses the work of Israeli, Syrian, and Palestinian actors which is a great step in the process of peace (if anybody still remember it).
    3 people found this helpful
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  • First girl
    5.0 out of 5 stars One woman's nightmare
    Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    I really liked this film. Having traveled internationally, I know the difficulties associated with obtaining the correct document with the correct stamp from the correct office. This film had the added emotional dimension of marriage and the accompanying social and family pressures. I laughed at times; at others I cried. I felt the anguish and frustration. This is not a documentary, but I can imagine it happening to someone. The film is not an action-packed thriller, but neither is it a chick flick. It's a film for the thoughtful.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • P.K. Ryan
    4.0 out of 5 stars Approved
    Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    I agree with the Amazon.com review that says this is a film about borders and the "absurdities of bureaucracy." Not only that, but it is a good depiction of life for the Druze of the Golan Heights. Officially part of Israel, this peculiar people mostly claims loyalty to neighboring Syria, who lost the territory in the 1967 War but still refuses to recognize Israel's dominion over it. Obviously this makes for a tense situation between the two countries and the Druze are stuck in the middle.

    The story is about a bride on the Israeli side of the border who is engaged to man (whom she has never met) on the Syrian side. The first part of the film is all about the bride's family and community and the delicate inner-workings thereof. This apparently gives the viewer a good insight into the typical life of the Druze. As an American, I of course found this society to be a bit peculiar, but I'm sure they would say the same about me. The second part of the film follows the bridal party as they try to make their way through checkpoints and border stations to meet the groom in Syria. This seemingly simple process turns out to be a bureaucratic nightmare and it drives home the reality of living in such a polarized region of the world. Again as an American I found it ridiculous that such a minor thing as a stamp could cause so much difficulty, but such is life in the Golan Heights!

    Overall, this was a solid film. First-rate production quality, solid acting, and intricate yet moving storyline. There wasn't any action or anything really exciting, but it was an insightful, and seemingly true-to-life film. 'The Syrian Bride' gets PK's stamp of approval.
    9 people found this helpful
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  • Grady Harp
    3.0 out of 5 stars An Insight to the Conflicting Problems in the Middle East
    Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2006
    THE SYRIAN BRIDE would probably best be appreciated by those who understand the intricacies of border rules and intercountry regulations that dominate the plot of this well made but a bit obtuse film.

    The story takes place on the wedding day of a beautiful bride, a Druze woman in Majd Alshams, a pro-Syrian village located in the conflicted Golan heights (factions pro-Syrian and pro-Israeli live uncomfortably in Druze villages). Our bride is to marry (by arrangement - she has never met him) a Syrian TV soap opera celebrity. The problem arises in that this will be the last time that she sees her family as once she crosses the border into Syria accepting Syrian citizenship, she can never return to the Golan Heights to see her family. The wedding is further complicated by the return visit of her brother who has been away for 8 years having married a Russian by whom he has a son: the brother and the son are in conflict. And to make things worse, the paperwork at the border to allow the bride to join her husband to be in the wedding is held up by political paperwork. How all of these factors impact the bride's future is played out by the families on both sides.

    The script tries to make the story seem credible but to those of us who still don't understand the intricacies of the territorial parceling of that area of the world or the traditions of Arab marriage etc, this plot seems ponderous and heavy. The actors are all excellent and there is something in each character with which we can identify. A little background on customs before the film begins would have helped immensely as the movie itself is very well done. Grady Harp, July 06
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Mauro Primo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful, in its own way...
    Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    What a story, gotta tell you it seems to be so much real, although so unreal for all the twists and turns, along the way. Hiam Abbass, Eran Rikilis, Makram Khoury, Ashraf Barhom and Eyad Sheety perform in a rather impeccable way, very convincing, indeed.
    Good photography, with great landscape shots, as well as adorable close-ups of the Syrian bride...
    Watch this witout any prejudice, just enjoy the interaction of the different "sides" involved!
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Ilana
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent film
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 23, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Another fantastic film by Eran Riklis, describing the life of Druze people who live in Syria and in Israel, and a marriage across the border, with the many challenges this causes. Once the bride crosses to Syria, she can never go back to her beloved family in Israel.
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  • Far
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on January 29, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Great
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  • G Dawe
    5.0 out of 5 stars DVD
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 25, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    It is OK for me but needs a multi regional DVD player. Difficult to get in UK - hence only regional 2
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  • Frank
    4.0 out of 5 stars Another good DVD on Jewish/Arab relations
    Reviewed in Canada on January 20, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    A simple film, but with a story that spells out just how difficult Arabs find it to live with Jewish overlords.
    Israeli make it so difficult for Arabs to live in Palestine that many find it easier to migrate to other countries.
    The red tape this lady had to go through to marry someone on the other side of the fence (literally) makes you wonder just what Israel is really like.
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  • Period Drama Fan
    4.0 out of 5 stars Very memorable and thought provoking
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 10, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Set in Majdal Shams, the largest Druze village in the Golan Heights on the Israeli-Syrian border. It shows the insane situation of a bride called Mona who wants to get married to Tallel, a television comedian that works in the Revolution Studios in Damascus, Syria.
    In order to do that she must cross the border, to enter Syria from where she is residing, which is recognised as a Druze village. Caught up with the political situation in the country/village and the occupation of their area by the Isreali conflict of 1967-Mona desperately seeks a way through the bureaucracy on both sides which prevents her leaving. We also see a snapshot of the Druze culture via the older brothers marriage problems, his sister Amal's daughters and his fathers situation and .At times funny it has a very serious side to it.
    I think this film tries to explain the sensitive issues in trying to sort out even the simplest of situations.I found this film very watchable having lived in this part of the Middle East. I am surprised that the film was written and acted in a very sensitive way although written by an Israeli producer Eran Riklis with an all Israeli cast.
    Great foreign film
    I highly recommend this film and it certainly deserved the prizes it received .
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