Sabah (2005)

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When a devout, forty year old Muslim woman from a traditional family falls in love with a handsome Canadian man, the stress of balancing her secret romance with her highly demanding family life gradually begins to take a heavy emotional toll. As a young girl, Sabah (Arsinée Khanjan) was always… More When a devout, forty year old Muslim woman from a traditional family falls in love with a handsome Canadian man, the stress of balancing her secret romance with her highly demanding family life gradually begins to take a heavy emotional toll. As a young girl, Sabah (Arsinée Khanjan) was always passionate an independent. When her family moved to Toronto and her father died shortly thereafter though, the once spirited young girl gradually found her independence stifled by two decades of duty to her loving yet high-maintenance family. It was around that time that Sabah's family became much more conservative, but a gift from Sabah's brother is about to change everything. Upon being bestowed with a picture of herself and her late father frolicking together in the ocean, Sabah longs for the days when familial obligations didn't weight on every aspect of her life. For as long as she can remember Sabah has had to answer to her tyrannical brother Majid - who controls not only the family finances but the actions of each member as well. But it was Majid who gave Sabah that powerful photograph, and who, despite his objection to westernization, inadvertently acted as the catalyst for his sister's life-altering journey. Longing to reconnect with the carefree memories of her childhood, Sabah stealthily sneaks off to celebrate her fortieth birthday with a secret swim. While the feel of the water and the thrill of rebellion immediately reinvigorate Sabah, it is a chance meeting with a man named Stephen that will truly change her life forever. Later, when Sabah's clandestine trips to the pool become a regular occurrence and Stephen invites her out to lunch, the differences between the unlikely couple seem to draw them together rather than pushing them apart. Before long Sabah has fallen in love with Stephen. In breaking the news to her disapproving family, however, Sabah attempts to explain how they must reconsider the rules of their culture if they are ever to find happiness in a foreign land. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi