It's rare these days to find a clean movie that stands up for religious beliefs. I had put "Arranged" on our Netflix list because it sounded intriguing. Two New York City teachers, one an orthodox Jew and the other Muslim, befriend each other and share their experiences searching for a husband in their customary religious way. I was more than pleasantly surprised at the outcome of the movie and recommend it to everyone.
Watching it, I learned so much about Muslim and orthodox Jewish customs. How one goes about finding a mate and the immense pressure put on them to pick a spouse at the right time. Don't want to become an old maid at age 23! But I love how Rachel and Nashira stood by their beliefs, despite the criticism they received from the school principle. She sees these two talented, smart, beautiful girls and tells them it's a waste to give themselves over to marriage and children when they have such bright futures. Yet they stand firm in their convictions. At one point Rachel wears a good luck charm to help her ward off "the evil eye" and pick a husband, as the pressure is mounting and the choices are anything but enticing, when the principle confronts her about such silly superstitions. Rachel replies, "How is this any worse than getting drunk and sleeping around in an effort to find love?" So true!
The women persevere and both end up finding love in a perfect match. It brought me back to my days at BYU when they giggled together over Nashira's hopeful intended brushing his arm against hers and the implications. I remember doing the same thing when I was dating my husband, trying to read into ever body gesture and word, hoping it meant he liked me. You don't see that in movies anymore because no one is innocent. People just sleep together and then try to figure out if they are in love. Ugh. How refreshing to see it done right and to watch their sincere like towards their hopeful fiancees grow to love.
Not to mention the great perspective the movie gave about accepting people of different religions. Here we have a orthodox Jew and a Muslim becoming friends when they "should be" hating each other. The two characters did meet some opposition to their friendship, but they did not care what others thought. It was a good reminder to not look down upon those with different religious beliefs and to see past to the person within.
What a beautiful and refreshing movie. I loved how religion was treated with respect. I loved the morals promoted. I loved the friendship that was created and watching innocent love grow. A must see!
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