Rana's Wedding (2003)

93% of critics liked it
(28 reviews)
72% of users liked it
(714 ratings)

Rana (Clara Khoury) is a young Palestinian woman, living in Jerusalem. Her father (Zuher Fahoum) is moving to Egypt, and he knows that Rana does not want to go with him. He thinks she's too young to get married, but he gives her a choice; she can go with him, or she can marry one of the men on a… More Rana (Clara Khoury) is a young Palestinian woman, living in Jerusalem. Her father (Zuher Fahoum) is moving to Egypt, and he knows that Rana does not want to go with him. He thinks she's too young to get married, but he gives her a choice; she can go with him, or she can marry one of the men on a list he's compiled of acceptable bachelors. On the morning of her father's departure, Rana sneaks out of the house and goes to meet Khalil (Khalifa Natour), the man she loves, as they had arranged. But a bombing the night before has kept Khalil from coming to Jerusalem, so Rana has to navigate a treacherous bureaucratic labyrinth of checkpoints and armed guards to reach Khalil at the theater where he works in Ramallah. When she finally gets there, her troubles are far from over. Her plan is for Khalil to marry her, but because she's underage, they find they need her father's permission. Together with Khalil's friend, Ramzy (Ismael Dabbag), the couple must drive back to Jerusalem, pick up the registrar to officiate, and convince her father to let her marry Khalil. As the deadline grows closer -- her father is taking an afternoon flight -- Rana ponders her decision to marry and to stay in Jerusalem, and wonders whether or not she's doing the right thing. Rana's Wedding was written and directed by Hany Abu-Assad, who also made the 2002 documentary Ford Transit. Both films were shown at the 2003 Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, where Abu-Assad was awarded the Nestor Almendros Prize for courage in filmmaking. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Hany Abu-Assad
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Jan 12, 2003 Wide
On DVD: Oct 18, 2005
Studio: Arab Film Distribution

Critic Reviews

Janice Page, Boston Globe
This wedding film is no stale confection.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The movie is passable as a story but fascinating as a document.
Robert K. Elder, Chicago Tribune
As Rana, Khoury gives the film a sympathetic center, but also a maddening one.
Manohla Dargis, Los Angeles Times
Effectively conveys the fears and frustrations of Palestinians struggling in a country that treats them as the enemy.
Jonathan Curiel, San Francisco Chronicle
A bittersweet film that tells the story of Palestinian life as eloquently as anything ever done.
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post
Both wry and sobering, if such a thing is possible.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
What's interesting are the shots of daily life in East Jerusalem and how it's seen through the eyes of the Arab heroine.
Marta Barber, Miami Herald
Rana's Wedding serves as a strong reminder of the difficulties the people of Jerusalem face every day.
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews
even if we have to view it through a 'security camera.' Something remarkable happens daily in Jerusalem
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central
So clearly a product of our collective kingdom of frustration and rubble, that she can't help but give voice to a universal howl.
David Elliott, San Diego Union-Tribune
The film bundles messy history into messy lives, and it breathes.
Ted Fry, Seattle Times
Gentle, tumultuous coming-of- age-in-a-day story.
Ella Taylor, L.A. Weekly
Quietly furious poem to the travails of life under Israeli occupation.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, San Francisco Examiner
Director Hany Abu-Assad makes delightful use of time, stretching out the action over the course of one day.
Jurgen Fauth, About.com
Vibrant filmmaking that manages to deliver pertinent news about life under occupation.
Harvey S. Karten, Compuserve
The Palestinian film community is no threat to Iran's but 'Rana's Wedding' is a promising, if artistically amateurish, try.

Read all 16 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]"Rana's Wedding" takes place in Jerusalem where Rana(Clara Khoury) has ten hours to make the biggest decision of her life, an ultimatum given to her by her widowed father - either follow him to Egypt to continue her studies or marry one of the… More
[font=Century Gothic]"Rana's Wedding" takes place in Jerusalem where Rana(Clara Khoury) has ten hours to make the biggest decision of her life, an ultimatum given to her by her widowed father - either follow him to Egypt to continue her studies or marry one of the possible suitors on a list he gave her, all men of honorable professions. Rana has a different idea - to marry her boyfriend, Khalil(Khalifa Natour), a theatre director who has not measured up to her father's rigorous standards. But, first, Rana has to find him...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Rana's Wedding" is an exquisitely filmed and illuminating movie about the West Bank which uses the plot as a way of examining the land under siege and the difficulties of living there even on the best of days. This, however, is a day of trials for Rana and Khalil, and her frustration and anger are those of a whole people. That having been said, the lives of the characters at the center of this excellent movie do matter.[/font]

Cast

Clara Khoury
as Rana
Khalifa Natour
as Khalil
Ismael Dabbag
as Ramzy

Walid Abed Elsalam
as Marriage Official
Zuher Fahoum
as Father
Bushra Karaman
as Grandmother

See full cast

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Rana's Wedding (2003)

Critic Reviews

Featured Audience Ratings

Walter M

Cast

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