In this year’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival, there are plenty of stories about journeys of self-discovery, friendship, and forging new paths. For her feature debut, Nadia Fall explores teenage girlhood through the lens of two Muslims, who journey across Turkey from the U.K. to Syria to gain religious freedom, free from persecution. In Brides, Fall uses pensive storytelling to explain the emotional states of two young ladies and how a dangerous journey depicted in this feature felt right for them.
Taking inspiration from The Bethnal Green trio, where three British girls left their London homes in 2015 to join the Islamic State as a result of online grooming, the director brings empathy and nonjudgmental storytelling to her feature. Newcomer Ebada Hassan stars as Doe, a Somalian immigrant who struggles at school due to her religious background. Her best friend is Muna (the fiery Safiyya Ingar), an outspoken Pakistani gal who has no trouble defending herself from racists or her abusive parents.
Given all they’ve experienced in life, Doe and Muna make the bold decision to uproot their lives and follow their extreme goals. For the most part, the story is centered on Doe. Frequent flashbacks reveal she’s running from racism at school that has led her to feel isolated and a tumultuous home life with her mother Khadija (Yusra Warsama). We often see Muna in these flashbacks, where she’s often fighting Doe’s battles and developing a strong friendship with her.
The frequent flashbacks in Brides lead to convoluted storytelling.
At times, the nonlinear storytelling holds the feature back from its greatest potential, which is to examine the emotional states of the girls to gain an understanding of why they would embark on such a dangerous journey. In between these flashbacks, we do get to experience the journey with them, as they run into complications and challenges that would make them (and us) question why they took the trip in the first place. Throughout, we witness a strong codependency to the point that any slight separation induces anxiety—at least in the beginning.
As the film editing and pacing finds its groove in between flashbacks, it still comes off a bit uneven with respect to evaluating both characters equally. Much of the story centers around Doe, where it even almost feels as if Muna is simply on the trip to serve Doe’s character development. Still, Fall circumvents the film’s major downfall by adding in classic road-trip tropes, where we get to see the girls live free from judgement, often enjoying themselves, and handling conflict as best as teenagers can.
Hassan and Ingar give stunning performances.
Given all the issues related to storytelling, the strength of Brides, undoubtedly, lies in the performances of our two leads. Ebada Hassan is so convincing when she showcases her vulnerability and naivety. As the tensions rise throughout the journey, Hassan beautifully takes on the challenge to commit to her character’s fluctuating emotions and fears. Safiyya Ingar’s gutsy performance also stands out. She brings strength and electricity to her role in a way that will be remembered throughout the festival circuit. Together, these ladies are the reason you should see Fall’s debut.
Overall, Brides is a decent, nonjudgmental view on two Muslim girls who just want to be accepted. The film succeeds in its humanization of these girls even though their end goal is questionable due to their decisions being emotion-based. However, the constant flashbacks are exhausting to get through. The haziness might have worked if done with limitations, but they tend to override the flow of the story, which may leave viewers dazed and confused. Thankfully, the performances are there. So, even if the storytelling isn’t at its best, Hassan and Ingar are plenty of reasons to support this feature.
