A Suitable Girl (film) explained

A Suitable Girl
Director:
Producer:
  • Cal Amir (exec.)
  • Antara Bhardwaj (associate)
  • Sarita Khurana
  • Smriti Mundhra
  • Jennifer Tiexiera
Music:
Cinematography:
  • Naiti Gámez
  • Shivani Khattar
  • André de Alencar Lyon
Editing:Jennifer Tiexiera
Studio:The Marriage Brokers
Distributor:Collective Eye Films
Runtime:90 minutes[1]

A Suitable Girl is a 2017 documentary film directed by Sarita Khurana and Smriti Mundhra. The film was screened at SAWCC on 7 April 2017[2] before premiering on 22 April at the Tribeca Film Festival, winning the Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award. Khurana and Mundra were the first Desi women to earn the New Documentary Director Award.[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] The film has also been screened at the British Film Institute Festival, Mumbai Film Festival, AFI Docs, Amazon and Netflix.[12] [13] In 2018, Library Journal reviewed and recommended the film be included in library collections.[14]

Synopsis

A Suitable Girl follows three young women in India as they struggle to follow their dreams amid familial and cultural pressures to get married. Ritu, Dipti and Amrita are educated, financially stable contemporary middle-class women living in Mumbai and New Delhi. Yet their lives take a dramatic turn when the pressure to settle down and get married hits. Documenting the matchmaking process in vérité over four years, A Suitable Girl examines the complex relationships among marriage, family, and culture.[15] [16] [17] [18] [19]

Cast

Production

A Suitable Girl was co-directed by Sarita Khurana and Smriti Mundhra. They met in film school at Columbia University School of the Arts connecting over their similar Indian backgrounds and wanted to create a film that explored the complexities of arranged marriages. They followed Dipti, Amrita, and Ritu over four years as they navigated their daily lives, careers, families, and friends.[9] [21] [22] [23]

Reception

The film received generally positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 88%, based on 16 reviews.[24] Many praised the film for having an unbiased look at the marriage customs in India.[25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31]

Frank Sheck of The Hollywood Reporter praised the film for examining "the difficulties women face in Indian society," as well as having "engaging personalities of its subjects and their families."[32] Nick Schager of Variety called the film "a stark look at that country's ongoing clash between modernity and tradition when it comes to female independence (or lack thereof)."[33] Barbara Shulgasser-Parker of Common Sense Media gave the film a 3/5 rating, stating that it "wisely tells its absorbing story without narration."[1]

Roger Moore of Movie Nation gave the movie a 2.5/4 rating, calling it "a fascinating look into a custom that the movies and TV have only touched on and mentioned with a raised eyebrow of mild dismissal."[34] Paul Parcellin of Film Threat gave the film an 8.5/10, saying that the film was an "honest look at a world that might be quite foreign to many of us," praising its "clear-eyed, unbiased look" at the topic of marriage.[35]

Nathaniel Hood of The Young Folks gave the movie a 5/10, saying that the film "seems to argue that the whole process of parental matchmaking is an endurable hassle that inevitably leads to happy marriages."[36] Wendy Ide of Screen Daily criticized the film, saying that the film provides little insight of a "vast and complex subject."[37]

Awards and nominations

Tribeca Film Festival
AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)Result
Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award6 February 2017Best New Documentary FilmmakerSarita Khurana, Smriti Mundhra[38]
Best EditingBest Editing in a Documentary FilmJennifer Tiexiera[39]
Best Editing in a Documentary Feature FilmJennifer Tiexiera
Jury AwardBest Documentary FeatureSarita Khurana, Smriti Mundhra[40]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: A Suitable Girl. Common Sense Media. Shulgasser-Parker, Barbara.
  2. Web site: Screening of "A Suitable Girl" with Directors Sarita Khurana and Smriti Mundhra – Saturday, April 7, 2–5PM. 7 March 2018. SAWCC.
  3. News: Kathryn Shattuck. 2018-04-06. This Week: Getting Crafty in the Bronx, 'Paterno,' Eric B. & Rakim on Tour. en-US. The New York Times. 2020-05-21. 0362-4331.
  4. Web site: Directors use film to speak on social issues at 2017 Tribeca Film Festival. NBC News. en. 2020-05-15.
  5. Bender. Abbey. 2018. A Suitable Girl. Pine Magazine. 2. 108–110.
  6. Web site: Award-Winning Desi Directors Tackle Arranged Marriage Stigma in 'A Suitable Girl'. Rao. Sameer. 2017-04-28. COLORLINES. en. 2020-05-20.
  7. Web site: Women Killing It. Hubbard. Sally. 2018-10-23. Women You Should Know®. en-US. 2020-04-14. 25 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200125015140/https://womenyoushouldknow.net/filmmaker-sarita-khurana-south-asian-stories/. dead.
  8. Web site: Three Weddings and a Documentary. Choudhury. Bedatri Datta. 2018-05-28. Vice. en. 2020-04-14.
  9. Web site: Heart of the Matter. Majumdar. Anushree. 2017-10-27. The Indian Express. en. 2020-05-21.
  10. News: Analysis India has changed a lot in 70 years. But arranged marriage remains the norm.. Das. Kavita. Washington Post. en. 2020-05-21.
  11. Web site: 'A Suitable Girl': Film Review Tribeca 2017. Scheck. Frank. 24 April 2017. The Hollywood Reporter. en. 2020-05-21.
  12. Web site: Indian American Filmmakers Sarita Khurana, Anula Shetty Named 2020 CAAM Fellows. Reporter. India-West Staff. India West. en. 2020-05-21. 20 July 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200720222126/https://www.indiawest.com/news/global_indian/indian-american-filmmakers-sarita-khurana-anula-shetty-named-2020-caam-fellows/article_960968f4-655c-11ea-931a-d3f01852ec83.html. dead.
  13. Web site: In Her View film season announced for HOME Manchester. Barlow. Nigel. 2019-11-21. About Manchester. en-GB. 2020-05-21.
  14. Druda. Ellen. 2018-11-01. Media Review: A Suitable Girl. Library Journal. 143. 18. Education Research Complete.
  15. Web site: Tribeca 2017 Women Directors. Allen. Joseph. 21 April 2017. womenandhollywood.com. en-US. 2020-01-25.
  16. Web site: 'A Suitable Girl' Sheds Light On The Unequal Sacrifices Women In Arranged Marriages Are Required To Make. Menon, Radhika. 2 April 2018. Decider.
  17. Web site: A Suitable Girl. Collective Eye Films.
  18. Web site: A Suitable Girl Profiles the Journeys of Three Women Navigating the Next Step — Marriage. Misra, Anjali. 17 November 2018. The Aerogram.
  19. Web site: A SUITABLE GIRL – Directed by Sarita Khurana and Smriti Mundhra. 7 January 2020. The University of British Columbia.
  20. Web site: BGN Film Review: 'A Suitable Girl'. Black Girl Nerds. 26 September 2018. Sezín Koehler.
  21. News: Cornelious. Deborah. 2019-09-14. 'Ready or Not' review: Here comes the bride. en-IN. The Hindu. 2020-05-21. 0971-751X.
  22. Web site: 'A Suitable Girl' Doc Explores Arranged Marriage in India (Exclusive Video). Lee. Ashley. 18 April 2017. The Hollywood Reporter. 2020-05-21.
  23. Web site: Exclusive: Director Sarita Khurana On Making 'A Suitable Girl. Haber, Liam. 1 April 2018. The Knockturnal.
  24. Web site: A SUITABLE GIRL. Rotten Tomatoes.
  25. Web site: Review: A Suitable Girl Is a Nuanced Look at Marriage and Tradition in India. Jao, Charline. 28 April 2017. The Mary Sue.
  26. Web site: A Suitable Girl. Kermode, Jennie. 27 March 2018. Eye For Film.
  27. Web site: TRIBECA Film Festival Review: A SUITABLE GIRL. O'Neal, Kristen. 25 April 2017. Birth.Movies.Death..
  28. Web site: Heartland Cultural Journey Review: A Suitable Girl. Coplen, Katherine. 16 August 2017. Nuvo.
  29. Web site: In Defense of Tribeca: Closing Notes from the 2017 Film Festival. 3 May 2017. Suh, Elissa. Mubi.
  30. Web site: 8 Hidden Gems At Mumbai Film Festival 2017. 9 October 2017. Desai, Rahul. Film Companion.
  31. Web site: Becoming an Unsuitable Girl. Jezebel. Gupta, Prachi. 30 May 2017.
  32. Web site: 'A Suitable Girl': Film Review – Tribeca 2017. Scheck, Frank. 24 April 2017. The Hollywood Reporter.
  33. Web site: Film Review: 'A Suitable Girl'. Variety. Schager, Nick. 22 April 2017.
  34. Web site: Movie Review: Arranged marriages for "A Suitable Girl" are more complicated than you think. 26 March 2018. Movie Nation. Moore, Roger.
  35. Web site: A SUITABLE GIRL. 1 April 2018. Film Threat. Parcellin, Paul.
  36. Web site: Tribeca Review: A Suitable Girl. The Young Folks. Hood, Nathaniel. 22 April 2017.
  37. Web site: 'A Suitable Girl': Tribeca Review. Ide, Wendy. 22 April 2017. Screen Daily.
  38. Web site: Here are the Winners of the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival Juried Awards. Tribeca Film Festival.
  39. Web site: A Suitable Girl (2017) – Awards. IMDb.
  40. Web site: VIDEO: Award Winning Documentary A Suitable Girl Explores the Different Facets of Marriage. 24 October 2018. Sadhvani, Namrata. Momspresso.

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