15-year-old quiet, naïve, devout Muslim girl Doe (Ebada Hassan) and her fearless friend Muna (Saffiyah Ingar) are not having a great time at home. They leave their houses in the middle of the night and fly to Turkey planning to meet with Doe’s crush, Samir (Ali Khan), who has gone to join the Syrian Resistance.
Considering the current climate of increasing racism and particularly anti-Muslim sentiment in this country, this is a brave film from director Nadia Fell and writer Suhayla El-Bushra. It shows how easily vulnerable young women can be seduced into thinking that there is a better life elsewhere and with the abuse they are subjected to in Britain, that decision is understandable. But it also is not shy in showing how misguided they are.
Both leads are excellent, with Ingar a real force of nature and Hassan deftly demonstrating both her conflicted emotions and inner steel.
I am not usually a fan of flashbacks but the structure works well in this case, slowly building up a picture of the girls’ home lives and explaining how they bonded. Although thought provoking, Brides is not preachy. Once in Turkey, when Muna and Doe face one obstacle after another, it feels more like a traditional road movie which may give it a wider appeal than the subject matter initially suggests.
Rating: 8 out of 10