Arranged (2007)

Directors:

Diane Crespo
Stefan C. Schaefer

Writers:

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

Release Date:

9 January 2009 (Brazil)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

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 | Arranged Marriage | Muslim | Jewish | Cross Cultural Friendship

Awards:

6 wins

Cast

Zoe Lister Jones	...	Rochel Meshenberg
Francis Benhamou	...	Nasira Khaldi
Mimi Lieber	...	Sheli Meshenberg
John Rothman	...	Matan Meshenberg
Sarah Lord	...	Naomi Meshenberg
Trevor Braun	...	Avi Meshenberg
Doris Belack	...	Elona
Laith Nakli	...	Abdul-Halim Khaldi
Jason Liebman	...	Gideon
Marcia Jean Kurtz	...	Principal Jacoby
Peggy Gormley	...	Miriam
David Castro	...	Eddie
Sanjit De Silva	...	Jamil
Daniel London	...	Elliot
Max Shulman	...	Seth

Runtime:

USA:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Hebrew | Arabic | Spanish

Color:

Color

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Brazil:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Cicala Filmworks

Trivia:

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

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene where the two women are leaning against a chain link fence, talking, Rochel's arms go from being crossed near her chest, to being crossed much lower and then to being by her sides, and then back up all within a few seconds.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Teacher: We're forced to handle the challenges of ESL. Different cultural traditions, everything they enter the classroom with, serious family dysfunctions. Basically our schools, New York city schools, are one big experiment, one big laboratory in this exercise we call the American Experience...

Multi-layered heartwarming story

This is an engaging story that feels very real, and very important in our times when so many walls keep people from connecting with each other. It is so refreshing to have the bigger theme of cultural and religious differences treated with respect and interest, and with an absence of violence. The gradual and delicate building of the friendship between Rochel and Nasira is beautifully portrayed. And the film is funny! You don't have to be Jewish or Muslim to recognize the family dynamics, and you don't need to have attempted an "arranged" relationship to feel right into those first dates. The themes are familiar but never fall into cliché. The writing is crisp and the plot twists keep you wondering what's coming next. The two leads are excellently cast and balance each other without ever pushing for center stage. The directors had a firm sense of pacing -- they trust you to live into the often very beautiful images yourself. The film is permeated with respect -- for the story, for the viewers, for the creativity that clearly lived between the actors, and for the possibilities of real human meeting and understanding.