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Poster for The Syrian Bride

The Syrian Bride

Seen it?

2004 | 97 min | Drama

Saturday Specialearly rating

Why it’s a Saturday Special

It earned strong reviews (86% on Rotten Tomatoes), despite almost no lasting buzz. A strong pick for the weekend.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for anyone who loves a strong drama.
The mood
Thoughtful and character-driven.
The pace
Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 37 min.
What might put you off
It's in another language, so expect subtitles (or a dub).

In Majdal Shams, the largest Druze village in Golan Heights on the Israeli-Syrian border, the Druze bride Mona is engaged to get married with Tallel, a television comedian that works in the Revolution Studios in Damascus, Syria. They have never met each other because of the occupation of the area by Israel since 1967; when Mona moves to Syria, she will lose her undefined nationality and will never be allowed to return home. Mona's father Hammed is a political activist pro-Syria that is on probation by the Israeli government. His older son Hatten married a Russian woman eight years ago and was banished from Majdal Shams by the religious leaders and his father. His brother Marwan is a wolf trader that lives in Italy. His sister Amal has two teenager daughters and has the intention to join the university, but her marriage with Amin is in crisis. When the family gathers for Mona's wedding, an insane bureaucracy jeopardizes the ceremony.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsStrong

    86% on Rotten Tomatoes, 70 on Metacritic

  • AudiencesNot counted

    Not measured yet: not enough ratings

  • AwardsWeak

    0 wins and 2 nominations from smaller awards and festivals

  • Reach & staying powerBelow par

    Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactWeak

    About 9K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Eran Riklis

  • Hiam AbbassAmal
  • Makram J. KhouryHammed
  • Clara KhouryMona
  • Evelyn KaplunEvelyna
  • Uri GavrielSimon
  • Alon DahanArik
  • Julie-Anne RothJeanne
  • Adnan TarabshiAmin
  • Ashraf BarhomMarwan
  • Marlene BajaliThe Mother