Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Usamah Harvey The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

desertwildflower I am neither Muslim nor Orthodox Jew, although I think anyone who abides by the tenets of a religious faith or lives among people who do would find relatable ground in the themes presented in this film. I recognize there are reviewers who are concerned about aspects of Orthodox Jew and Muslim portrayal that may not be perfectly accurate, but feel that regardless this film is a very valuable watch for anyone who lives in this world and doesn't know everything about every culture and religion. The film is beautiful. It is clean and very appropriate for older children and teens to view as well. The thematic elements of cultural diversity, religious background and choice, and familial relations are portrayed in a really nice and educational way. The characters story may not be my story, but it was so relatable as another person of faith that hopes that people will see me as more than just my religion or where I come from, but for my depth of character and contribution to the world as well. (Both main characters are just so charming!) I am confident that most people would also find very relatable thematic elements. My favorite part is the diversity of the elementary school classroom and how misconceptions on cultures and religions you are somewhat ignorant about are addressed. It is beautiful. The leading actresses were lovely. Haters may have all sorts of negativity to chuck at the film, but I think the world would be a better place if every school child, and adult for that matter, watched this film for its greater thematic elements, especially that we often have more in common than not.

nsharky-732-789549 My wife loves this movie and she would not hesitate to give it a rating of 10. However, since I am the one writing this review, I am entering a rating of 7. Overall, I recommend this movie because it tackles an interesting and original topic, it is pleasant to watch, and the acting is quite good. Having said that, I should also add that the movie would have been much better if the writer/director depicted the two sides in a more even-handed manner. Firstly, it is difficult to miss the attempt of portraying Rachel's family as extremely intolerant while Nazira's family appears to be much more open-minded. Secondly, I agree with the fact (advanced by Nazira) that the vast majority of the 1.5 billion Muslims are peaceful and they do not harbor any ill will toward Jews. However, in the language of statistics, one should not confuse the following two conditional probabilities: Probability of being hostile to Jews given that the person is Muslim, and Probability of being Muslim given that the person is hostile to Jews. Anyway, I am not suggesting that the movie should have addressed this complicated issue. But since the writer decided to mention this topic, it would have been nice if he let Nazira state something along the line of "Our leaders do not tolerate the violent actions of the very few individuals among us".As a final comment, it is interesting to note that each reviewer has his or her antenna tuned to a particular frequency, so to speak. For instance, Paul stated in December 2010 "What bothered me about the movie is the political correctness evident throughout". On the other hand, Mike stated in April 2010 "This film has a distinctly anti-liberal point of view". Obviously, I agree with Paul. A quick check of Schaefer's views on various issues (such as the environment) shows that he is indeed a liberal.

pc95 The writing for "Arranged" is terribly leading and belittling. Directed and written by Stefan Schaefer, the narrative goes through fabricated and forced discussions wiht caricaturish type relationships of Muslim and Jewish female characters. The acting ranges from decent to poor - especially the phony accents. Traditional stereotypical ideas are blasted in excess. In one preposterous scene, you have the lead Jewish character's mother chastising her daughter in front of her Muslim friend for bringing her over. While this might be possible it is fairly implausible. There are plenty of similar scenes where characters are puppets of the writers devoid of realism. The main characters are old enough to not be so dependent emotionally on their respective parents, so it didn't make sense. Not recommended but you could do worse. 5/10

Red-125 Arranged (2007) was directed by Diane Crespo and Stefan C. Schaefer. (Schaefer was also the writer.) Zoe Lister Jones plays Rochel Meshenberg, a young Orthodox Jew, and Francis Benhamou play Nasira Khaldi, a young Orthodox Muslim. Both young women are new teachers in the New York City school system.Both of these women accept their culture, in which arranged marriages are the accepted norm. Neither woman rejects the reality of arranged marriages. The problem is that the prospective partners are definitely not to their liking.Living in the U.S. in the 21st Century exposes the women to a society in which an arranged marriage is considered an anomaly. In fact, this is the position taken by the school's well-meaning, but dismally unaware principal. (Played by Marcia Jean Kurtz.) In fact, the intrusions of Principal Jacoby are so clumsy that all she does is alienate both women, and drive them closer together. (I think Crespo and Schaefer brought her into the movie to present what they see as the feminist viewpoint. The feminist viewpoint has a place in the film, but not in the manner in which it's portrayed.)Similarly, Rochel's visit to her non-Orthodox cousin is another clumsily portrayed view of the outside world. Women who leave the Orthodox community don't automatically gravitate to parties where everyone is drugged out.Despite these flaws, the basic plot works well. We can believe that the women would become friends. They accept each other as faithful members of a different culture and religion, and they move on from there. They can remain friends, but only on neutral turf like the school or a park, but that's OK.Both can remain firmly within their communities, but try to find happiness on their own terms. In order to learn how they move forward, you'll have to see the movie.We saw this film on DVD, and it worked very well on the small screen. It was highly recommended by a knowledgeable friend. In turn, I'm recommending it to anyone reading this review. It's definitely worth seeing.