Brides

2025

Drama

Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 83% · 30 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 83%
IMDb Rating 6.3/10 10 212 212

Plot summary

Teenage best friends Doe and Muna are heading off on what seems like the trip of a lifetime. Quiet, observant Doe hasn’t travelled since arriving in the UK as a Somali refugee aged three. Muna, sharp and fearless with Pakistani roots, leads them through airport security and into the unknown. But this isn’t a holiday. The girls are bound for Istanbul, planning to cross into Syria to begin a new life they believe holds purpose and meaning. When their fixer fails to appear, panic sets in, but turning back isn’t an option. Alone in a foreign city, they must improvise fast, pushing the limits of their courage, their faith, and their friendship.

Director

Nadia Fall Photo
Nadia Fall

Top cast

Leo Bill Photo
Leo Bill as Jon
Sinead Matthews Photo
Sinead Matthews as Ms. Jenner
Arthur Darvill Photo
Arthur Darvill as Mr. Hansard
Yusra Warsama Photo
Yusra Warsama as Khadija
720p.WEB
844.97 MB
1280*690
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 31 min
Seeds ...

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by 9 / 10

An insightful British-Muslim story

A moving journey, this, presumably loosely based on the story of Shamima Begum, and a beautifully put-together film. Artful shots and editing, and superb performances by both Ebada Hassan and Safiyya Ingar.We're kept guessing; there's no obvious ending until the ending - and the well-executed use of hopping back and forth in time explains (and largely justifies) these girls' decision to try and to escape to what they hope will be a better life...Best British film of '25 for this reviewer.
Reviewed by 6 / 10

Brides

Two disillusioned British girls find themselves flying from London to Istanbul where they are to meet someone who will take them on to war torn Syria. Sadly for them, things at the Bean Kafe don't go quite to plan and they have to improvise, think on their feet, and make their own way to their destination. We are never quite sure what their ultimate goal is, here, but as we follow their adventures we learn a little more about what motivated the more extrovert "Muna" (Safiyya Ingar) and her more subdued travel companion "Doe" (Ebada Hassan). The latter was having an hard time at school from an obnoxious bully, and her mum's new choice of boyfriend wasn't impressing her much either. "Muna" came from a more established, stable, background but with both of them exasperated and feeling that their lives were empty and meaningless, they sealed quite a profound pact. Whilst their story evolves with plenty of back references to their schooldays and before, plus we get an occasional narrative purporting to be a letter from a friend extolling the joys and happiness of their new God-loving and mutually supportive community, I found that neither characterisation was any where near developed enough. Moreover, even given that "Doe" was having a torrid time at school, it seemed to me far from likely that either of these women would have elected on quite such a blind solution to their issues, nor to treat those left behind with such inconsiderate disdain. Cinematically, it serves as a travelogue of Istanbul and shows that city and it's people in a largely good light, barring the odd but infrequent bit of lechery, but it still never delivered a killer blow. It simply didn't answer the question of why? As a coming of age drama, it is unconvincing and as a stimulant for conversation about religious indoctrination or opportunity, it barely scratches the surface. The performances are fine; the dialogue and the camerawork adequate, but it was all just too superficial and incomplete for me.
Reviewed by 7 / 10

New approach to a road coming-of-age tale of freedom and life

Watched at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.Despite a familiarity subject about coming-of-age tales, Nadia Fall still offers a new take on the subject which combines both empathetic performances from Edaba Hassan and Safiyya Ingar, character dynamics and direction throughout. The themes of girlhood, freedom, culture, and friendship is well-explored between the characters. Nadia Fall is able to craft a story that helps connect with the characters, alongside with some good humor, camerawork and atmosphere approaches. Even tho road movies are a predictable genre, Fall still knows how to engage.I really enjoyed how the dynamics are portray between the characters as both don't come off as stereotypical or fake, rather they felt nature and realistic. Especially regarding the dialogue and decision makings (which certain decisions are a bit confusing and frustrating. Whether it was intentional or not, it does have some issues).Writing wise, it's solid. It's not perfect as some of the structure feels a bit misplaced and certain aspects could have been more impactful. But as a whole, I enjoyed this new approach.
Read more IMDb reviews

No comments yet

Be the first to leave a comment