A Wedding

The opening shot, which presents to us the bare facts without equivocation as the main female protagonist conducts an “admission interview” at an abortion clinic, is likably bold and matter-of-fact. The rest of the film is neither. A Wedding tells a clichéd story about religious traditions that – especially for men – are more important than individual happiness. It does so in a not very economical, but very predictable and simple manner (just in case we somehow don’t understand from their life stories, two female characters carry on a dialogue about how difficult it is for a woman in a family clinging to tradition). The perspective of the parents and the brother is taken into account not so that we would have greater understanding for them (as in the recent The Big Sick, for example), but so that we understand that they understood nothing and were more concerned about Záhira (I haven't seen such clumsy use of the “Chekhov’s Gun” principle in a long time). A Wedding merely insensitively asserts the stereotypical image of Muslims as religious dogmatists who resist women’s emancipation and progress in general tooth and nail. Last year's Hedi, for example, managed to make something special out of a similar narrative formula with a civil concept and political subtext. In Streker’s melodramatic film, which takes only extreme positions (hysterical father, grand speeches about the loss of honour, references to an ancient tragedy), only the excellent Lina El Arabi in the lead role comes across (and acts) naturally. Without her, it would be truly difficult for me to find a reason to attend A Wedding. 50% (04.10.2017)