arranged

My local library is subscriber to "Film Movement" a distributor of independent and foreign films.  I started ordering some to watch on the weekends as I have been getting somewhat bored with the type of movies that Hollywood has been turning out these days.

When I picked up the movie "Arranged" I had know idea on what a treat I was in for in finding this delightful romantic comedy.

Rochel, a soft spoken Orthodox Jew played by Zoe Lister-Jones and Nasira, a spirited Muslim woman, begin their first year teaching in a public school. The two hit it off right from the start finding they had much in common as each came from a family with deeply ingrained values and traditions including that of arranged marriages.

My first thoughts going into this movie was that it would probably portray the difficulty of these young women breaking away from old customs and convincing their family that they were living in a modern day American society where women were were strong, independent and made their own choices.

While the movie did reflect their struggles, it was really about the love and unity of family and traditions that made it work.

The storyline was one of the best I have seen in a long time, the characters were vibrant, honest and sweet lighting up each scene with their glowing energy. It really made me look a little closer at myself on how I sometimes judge people without really knowing the whole story.

If you like romantic comedy’s and appreciate the passion that it takes to make an independent film, I highly recommend "Arranged".