Arranged

While I can't say that the film "Arranged" was my favorite that we have watched, I thought that it did the job of introducing us to the East in the West section very well.  It was a relief, actually, to see some Middle Eastern culture in a different and more familiar setting.  A lot of what we discuss in this class deals with Middle Eastern tensions, this was similar except that the tensions that we were able to see in this film were easier to relate to because it was in a familiar setting and, for me at least, it was possible to relate the characters in this film to everyday life as it is lived here in the US.  

I like the way that the film showed  these two women living their lives not only faithful to their religions but to their cultural backgrounds; even in the midst of our fast paced American society, they were true to their own religions and respectful of what their families wanted for them because of their heritage.  I appreciated the film for how it showed these women living out their religions while still integrating and successfully interacting with modern Americans, and being able to connect with each other across religions, whether that be between themselves or with the students that they were teaching.  

My big problem with the film was that everything was resolved so easily.  Both woman found their happy ending, which is good, but I was left wondering what the chances of this really happening were.  Can it be that simple for women of Middle Eastern religion to assimilate into our American world?  Something tells me that it is not, and that is a major flaw in the film's message.  It feels like the film took the easy way out.