User reviews

While it is accurate for what it is like to be a teenage muslim girl it is rather mild. parents are usually much more strict than hers. however it still is a bit of an insight. anyone saying this is anti islamic must have some sort of agenda as it is not at all. however i don't think this movie shows anything new, is pretty tame and if anything pro islam. it is slow and somewhat dull. i can't really recommend it unless you have time to kill. it was a little shallow considering what they could have done with the subject matter.

The acting was well done but I was disappointed once again at yet another movie that tries to make Islam look oppressive and the Western way liberated. Can anyone make a decent film that doesn't portray this stereotype? Still waiting........

What are they trying do making this kind of movie? THERE IS NO DAMN SENSE in this whole movie. There is no reality to this and the irony is, hala is not even portrayed by a real muslim actor. Just utterly ridiculous, terrible, horrible, you name it. Please save yourself some time and brain cells and skip this one.

This is the problem you are gonna face when you don't have enough understanding about a calture and their family environment, new flush " It's not always about conflict " why people always think like that? Ugh ... it's hard to watch... but hey, thanks for trying ... I'm sure you are gonna get it right next time.

The scenario is really interesting in terms of the environment's view of religion and imposing it as a tyrant, which is very important in terms of the reasons for the great traumas experienced at the point of questioning today's life. Thanks to the actors and the director.

Newsflash: NO, this does not concern just "1 percent" of muslims but more like 80-90%. It's about time these sorts of issues get talked about.

I'm not even Pakistani but I'm from a muslim family and I can tell you this is exactly the sort of struggle children of muslim parents go through not just in Pakistan but in the middle east and everywhere else in muslim communities living in countries where liberal ideas haven't gained hold (and even in those communities living in countries where they did, as this movie shows). For *most* children of muslim parents, it often comes down to choosing between religion or themselves - it shouldn't surprise you that they end up choosing themselves (you can't love anybody - including God - if you hate yourself).

I really liked the movie because I think it sheds a light on a reality many people simply don't want to see nor recognize.

The only misshap with the movie is that story about the teacher - that simply has no place / no logic and no reason to be in the story. If it weren't for that I'd give 10 stars,

This idea is awesome. I love the trailer and it is so real. I am a Pakistani American, and it shows the struggles we had to go through, the purity culture, and oppression caused by religion. If you are offended by this movie, chances are you are probably aren't too fond of progression and the exchange of ideas and philosophies :)

A terrible, Islamophobic, racist overused orientalist narrative of a hijabi Muslim girl who is oppressed and severely depressed until she finds liberation through a non-Muslim white guy. Very original, and very accurate.

I actually really enjoyed this movie because I could relate to it so much

I kind of knew what I was getting myself into when I walked in, but I was still curious since the director had a hand in Ramy. Man it was hard to watch. That is not an exaggeration. The premise really struck me as Orientalist and an almost fetishization of Muslim women - a trope that has become all too common in cinema. I had hope that the movie would, at least in some subtle way, buck the trope and lead us in a fresh direction but my hope was repeatedly crushed throughout. Rather than any subversion to the trope, it just indulged in it. Beyond that the film itself was quite average, definitely would not recommend spending money to watch this. Its frankly slow and boring, its hard to get through and by the end you don't really care what happens. The entire second half would need to be completely redone. Its like the director really just wanted the premise and didn't really care where the film went from there.

Skip it, you'll regret taking the time or money to watch.

This is one of the most accurate portrayals of high school life I've ever seen in a film. On top of that, the characters are seriously compelling and the story is quite moving. I'd say it successfully accomplishes everything is set out to do.

In one line: A Hindu religion girl chooses to act as a Muslim teenager, who do not know how to speak URDU properly. Movie is trying to show that a Red-light stop means nothing in life, keep driving even when you see Red signals, utter nonsense of a movie.

Silly story with no meaning and doesnt represent any culture

Wonderful story and we need more movies about Muslim perspectives, there are rarely portrayed in the western world as anything positive. There are many Arabic shows and movies that have great writing and storytelling but since they don't get translated we don't get much English shows about Muslim life.

I am sorry for the director who wishes to present freedom to young muslim girls as hijab(head cover) free, do things muslims dislike and paint muslim men as their obstacle to so called freedom and liberation.

There are a lot of people from different sides who will hate this movie. But I don't really care. This movie has so much realistic parts of the traditional Muslim life. I hope for a second part.

I had some expectations because of the good reviews, but the story fell flat and didn't go anywhere. The girl feels bound in religious customs forced by strict parents. The smart Asian girl gets admission into the college of her choice. She ditches the religious boundations. Oh, come on Minhal Baig! I have seen your other titles. You can de better than that. I am not denying the possibility of such a household in the country, but America needs a positive representation of Islam to break the mindset of a typical American of an Islamic family. Titles like Arranged by Diane Crespo and Stefan C. Schaefer would be much more appreciated.

Beautiful movie about being a teenager and what belongs to that part of life. but at the same time be Muslim and live up to its expectations.

Claims that this movie is islamophobic and stereotyping the religion and men as oppressive just aren't true. The story is about truth and the characters just happened to be Muslim. A pleasant movie to let your thoughts meander about identity, honesty and love. Better than it's rating suggests.

I had been looking forward to seeing this film at Sundance. What a let down. It's a nice idea and a story that should be told. Just wish it had been told by a more confident director. The film is tedious and doesn't have much shape. It meanders. The last half is a mess. One of the most disappointing films at Sundance.