Arranged (2007)

Directors:

Diane Crespo
Stefan C. Schaefer

Writers:

Stefan C. Schaefer (story)
Stefan C. Schaefer (written by)

Genere:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Slogan:

Friendship Has No Religion

Plot:

ARRANGED centers on the friendship between an Orthodox Jewish woman and a Muslim woman who meet as first-year teachers at a public school in Brooklyn...

Plot Keywords:

Friendship | Male Female Relationship | Arranged Marriage | Muslim | Jewish

Premi:

6 wins

Recensioni degli utenti:

The best film at SXSW 2007

Cast

Zoe Lister Jones	...	Rochel
Francis Benhamou	...	Nasira
John Rothman	...	Matan
Mimi Lieber	...	Sheli
Laith Nakli	...	Abdul-Halim
Doris Belack	...	Elona
Marcia Jean Kurtz	...	Principal Jacoby
Trevor Braun	...	Avi
Daniel London	...	Elliot
Arian Moayed	...	Ahmed
Peggy Gormley	...	Miriam
Jake Robards	...	Matt
Alysia Reiner	...	Leah
David Castro	...	Eddie
resto del cast in ordine alfabetico:
Peter Appel	...	Yitzahk Bello
James Arden	...	Party Pot Smoker
Alison Becker	...	Beth Calloway
Sanjit De Silva	...	Jamil
Lissette Espaillat	...	Maria / Latina Mom
Laura Esterman	...	Judit
Emma Lesser	...	Eva
Jason Liebman	...	Gideon
Sarah Lord	...	Naomi
Larry Mills	...	Lazar Ben Fischel
Bridget Moloney	...	Teacher #1
Remy K. Selma	...	Abu Jamil
Nicole Shalhoub	...	Woman #1
Gina Shmuckler	...	Amina
Gary Shteyngart	...	Lionya Abramovich
Max Shulman	...	Seth
Alia Catherine Tarraf	...	Woman #2

Durata:

USA:90 min

Nazionalità:

USA

Lingua:

Inglese | Ebraico | Arabic

Colore:

Colore

Luoghi delle riprese:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Cicala Filmworks

Curiosità:

The film was shot in 17 days, during a heat wave where temps in New York hit 115 degrees.

Errori:

Continuity: In the scene with both women in the car (on the way to the cemetery), the items on the back window (behind Rochel) change position from cut to cut -- most notable is a newspaper.

The best film at SXSW 2007

I had no idea what to expect when I walked into this film at SXSW. All I knew was that it was about a Muslim and a Jew who become friends. I figured it would be some kind of Movie of the Week type film with a sentimental "let's all get along" message, but it turned out to be a lot more complicated and interesting than that.

The main plot is that an Orthodox Jew (Zoe Lister Jones) and a Muslim (Frances Benhamou) work at a public school together, and find that their conservative lifestyles and impending arranged marriages make them have more in common with each other than anybody else at the school... even though Jews and Muslims as groups historically have some problems with each other.

It establishes the worlds of Orthodox Judaism and Islam so pitch-perfectly that the movie is fascinating just on the level of observing the lives of others. Though, to be sure, Orthodox Judaism does seem to get a bit more screen time, probably because the writer and the director both have more direct experience with Judaism than Islam. What we do see of both worlds is rife with similarities: both are marked by a reverence for history and tradition, and both are somewhat suspicious of people not members of their particular group. What the two lead women in this film hope to do is embrace the first part of their identities, while rejecting the second part.

Because this story is more concerned with character than multiple plot points, it would have failed without good performances. Luckily, the filmmakers found Lister-Jones and Benhamou to play the Jewish woman and the Muslim woman, respectively. They turn in two flawless performances, and prove themselves to be actresses to watch.