Political dramas and soap operas don't have much in common, which makes this hybrid as surprising as it is entertaining.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 22, 2006

While the film's depiction of bureaucratic frustrations and familial woe are universal, the characters themselves can be difficult to warm up to and often seem as arid as their surroundings.

| Original Score: 3/5 | May 20, 2006

An engrossing absurdist comedy.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | May 19, 2006

A thoughtful and engaging film set in the turbulent Golan Heights.

| Original Score: 3/4 | May 12, 2006

It is written, directed and acted with real compassion and sympathy for the humanity of its characters, no matter who they are or on what side of these multiple issues they turn out to be.

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | Apr 20, 2006

All politics is personal, but rarely has that credo been illustrated so winningly as with Eran Riklis' delicate comedy about the maddening intersection of families, cultures and borders.

Full Review | Apr 20, 2006

The movie charms while making a bold statement about the borders that governments and individuals construct to keep each other apart.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Apr 7, 2006

The real interest in the film enters by the side door, through supporting characters.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Apr 6, 2006

Comes by its sweetness honestly. And while multinationalism is no guarantee of quality, this film is a true multinational affair.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Apr 6, 2006

It seems to line up every conceivable cultural, sexual or religious fender-bender it can for maximum conflict. But at the same time, Israeli director Eran Riklis and Palestinian co-writer Suha Arraf use the device to reveal touching human complexity.

| Mar 23, 2006

The ensemble cast is generally strong, but [Hiam] Abbass, who played the mother of one of the suicide bombers in Paradise Now, is a standout.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Feb 23, 2006

In the assured, Jean Renoirlike, sympathetic handling of director Riklis (Zohar), individuals deserve empathy while the socio-historical forces crushing them demand scorn.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Feb 3, 2006

Amal becomes the heart of The Syrian Bride and Abbass its most poignant treasure.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 20, 2006

Reps generous-hearted ensemble storytelling.

Full Review | Jan 20, 2006

The Syrian Bride becomes an overtly political movie, but with all its loose threads and random directions, it feels more like the pilot for an unmade miniseries.

Full Review | Dec 6, 2005

The Syrian Bride manages the rare feat of blending the personal and the political in pitch-perfect fashion.

Full Review | Dec 2, 2005

Eran Riklis and his co-writer, Suha Arraf, take impressive care to create a sensitive and thoughtful examination of each character (and country's) deeply held bias.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Nov 18, 2005

The lapses are eclipsed by an abiding empathy toward his characters.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Nov 16, 2005

Tackling serious issues with humor and understanding, the film portrays Mona's woes as a microcosm of the entire mess in the Middle East.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Nov 16, 2005

Eran Riklis's tightly wound film is about a bride-to-be trapped between Syria and Israel.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 15, 2005