Brides
With her impressive, thought-provoking directorial debut, Nadia Fall tells the story of two Muslim schoolgirls hoping to find a better life in Syria.
Safiyya Ingar and Ebada Hassan
Image courtesy of Vue Lumiere.
The choice of title here is an interesting one since by opting for the single word ‘Brides’ it gives no specific pointer about the nature of the film and its concerns. That may have been a deliberate choice and, if so, it is one which I came to recognise as a valid one. In point of fact this deeply felt film could have been called Brides of Isis since its creation is a response to what happened to the then 15-year-old Shamima Begum who in 2015 left Britain to travel to Syria in order to join the Islamic state. In Shamima's case she married on arrival and in 2019 a controversial decision by the UK Home Secretary deprived her of her British citizenship, a subsequent court ruling confirming on appeal that the ruling was lawful. The two central figures in Brides, Doe and Muna, are the same age that Shamima was when leaving Britain and the film portrays their bid to reach Syria by way of Istanbul in order to start a new life there. However, the narrative does not extend beyond the moment of their arrival on Syrian soil and they do not literally become brides. Nevertheless, they have been encouraged to make this move through propaganda on social media giving the false impression that Muslim girls like them will be welcome and will find a better and happier life in Syria.
It is a striking fact that Brides marks the debut as participants in the making of a feature film of no less than three of the key figures involved. Its director, Nadia Fall, is an established playwright and currently the artistic director of London’s Young Vic theatre, the screenplay is by another playwright, Suhayla El-Bushra, and the leading role of Doe is played by Ebada Hassan. The other leading actress here is Safiyya Ingar. She takes the role of Muna who is Doe’s best friend and, although she has already been seen on screen in a supporting role in Layla (2024), she too is a comparative newcomer. The commitment of all four to the material is always apparent and, if friendship and sympathy for strangers is patently endorsed (on two occasions in particular the girls are helped out when in need by people encountered during their journey), the main purpose behind the film emerges even more clearly. In telling this tale El-Bushra and Fall want to spell out the extent to which young teenagers like Doe and Muna and like Shamima in 2015 need to be seen as inexperienced adolescents who, if they are vulnerable to making serious errors of judgment, should in turn be judged as teenagers likely to get things wrong rather than in a harsh way that is inappropriate in view of their age.
Within the first few minutes of the film the two girls are on their way to the airport and it is only gradually that we learn something of their backgrounds and character. Doe had been born in Somalia but had come to Britain at the age of three and is now living with her mother (Yusra Warsama) who has settled here but now has a boyfriend (Leo Bill) who is in effect an unsympathetic stepfather. The teenager is also subject to bullying at school and has a boyfriend of her own, Samir (Ali Khan), who by leaving for Syria intent on joining ISIS will disappear from her life unless she joins him there. However, she is also influenced by the social media propaganda which promises that life will be so much better for her in Syria. As for Muna, she is Pakistani and she too has been subjected to bullying and is rebellious by nature. In her case she was born in the UK but is readily persuaded that she should leave with Doe and is even more ready to cut her ties (in Doe’s case she is distressed by the fact that the arrangements made with the recruiters forbid any phone messages ahead of arrival in Syria thus causing Doe's mother to make pleas for information as to her child’s whereabouts that have to go unanswered).
Despite the nature of the story and its real-life echoes, Brides is presented as a human tale about two very young girls set against memorable backgrounds and presented as an engaging personal narrative. It is not a political piece as such and by stopping short of what happens in Syria it does not become the bleak, harrowing work that it might have been. And that is why simply calling it Brides is a clever move because it may help to draw in audiences less inclined to see political films who will then enjoy the story as it unfolds but will be left with food for thought.
As for those making their debut here, the clearest triumph is that of Ebada Hasan as the more thoughtful Doe. Good as Safiyya Ingar is as Muna – both actresses capture the rapport of the girls and also those characteristics which can on occasion lead to conflict between them – it is Hasan who becomes our chief focus. In the case of Nadia Fall’s direction and in the writing by Suhayla El-Bushra it is evident that both of them were anxious to move away from the limitations of the stage and to feature storytelling through images including an unusual emphasis on both montage sequences and intercutting. In part that arises due to the decision to show the difficulties of Doe and Muna in England in the form of flashbacks or memory shots. The result of this approach is certainly one that avoids any hint of the theatre, but by only portraying their previous lives in the course of their travels the cutting back-and-forth can become a mite confusing and disruptive at times. Even so, the issues that arise en route to Syria (the initial contact failing to appear in Istanbul, the loss of passport and money and the need to avoid the authorities) make for a lively if occasionally contrived narrative. However, it is also the case that the film’s epilogue – another flashback – doesn't quite achieve the emotional poignancy that it seems to be seeking. Ultimately, then, this is a film that leaves mixed impressions and a sense that the judgment of the filmmakers can at times go a bit awry. But, overall, given its impressive performances by both leading actresses and its heartfelt plea for sympathetic understanding for young people who make wrong choices, Brides is a film to welcome.
MANSEL STIMPSON
Cast: Ebada Hassan, Safiyya Ingar, Yusra Warsama, Leo Bill, Ali Khan, Cemre Ebuzziya, Derya Durmaz, Aziz Çapkurt, Elodie Wilton, Sinead Matthews, Arthur Darvill, Hayal Lorena Cercos, Ada Danila Farid Mancuso.
Dir Nadia Fall, Pro Nicky Bentham and Marica Stocchi, Ex Pro Lizzie Francke, Screenplay Suhayla El-Bushra, Ph Clarissa Cappellani, Pro Des Gem Randall, Ed Fiona DeSouza, Music Alex Baranowski, Costumes Zoe Howerska, Sound Filippo Barracco, Dialect coach Zabarjad Budgie Salam.
Neon Films/Rosamont/Great Point Media/le le Productions/Rai Cinema-Vue Lumiere.
92 mins. UK/Italy. 2024. UK and US Rel: 26 September 2025. Cert. 15.
