Arranged (2007)

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. Over the course of the year they learn... See full summary »

Directors:

Diane Crespo, Stefan C. Schaefer

Writers:

Stefan C. Schaefer (story), Stefan C. Schaefer

Stars:

Zoe Lister-Jones, Francis Benhamou, Mimi Lieber

6 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Zoe Lister-Jones	...	Rochel Meshenberg (as Zoe Lister Jones)
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

Storyline

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. Over the course of the year they learn they share much in common - not least of which is that they are both going through the process of arranged marriages.

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Plot Keywords:

friendship | arranged marriage | muslim | jewish | matchmaker | 

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Taglines:

Friendship Has No Religion

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film is loosely based on the experiences of Executive Producer Yuta Silverman, an Orthodox Jew who befriended a Pakistani Muslim woman through the public schools in Brooklyn.

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Goofs

Rochel comes home to dinner and sits down with the family. But she didn't wash her hands. Orthodox Jews wash their hands, say a prayer, and eat some bread before talking or eating at a meal. Only the religious Jewish viewers will look alarmed at this. But the director covers it. Rochel says the blessing before eating a meal with no bread.

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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. And we as teachers aren't equipped to deal with the task at hand. We're not, that's the sad truth. So, after lunch, I'll introduce some exercises designed to demonstrate what we all share, teachers ...

User Reviews

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Facebook Official MySpace

Country:

USA

Language:

English Hebrew Arabic Spanish

Release Date:

9 January 2009 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

Arranged

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$120,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,560, 16 December 2007

Gross USA:

$23,571

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$199,891

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cicala Filmworks

Technical Specs

Color:

Color