Two Bangladeshi girls born and raised in London are about to get married, but their fiancés were chosen by their parents. The elder of the two sisters is quick-witted and coarse-mannered, while the other is more submissive and devout. But both have their doubts. Simon Chambers followed the months leading up to the big day from close up. He films the family before the future bridegrooms arrive in Great Britain for a visit. At that point, everything still seems all right. But when Chambers drops by a few months later to see how things are going, the whole situation has changed. One sister has left the house, she has a job and a new boyfriend; the other sister also refuses to marry the man her parents have picked out for her. The director is more than just an anonymous filmmaker - the family treats him like a family friend and they regularly address him directly or ask his opinion during a domestic dispute, which he then gives in the voice-over.
Simon Chambers
After numerous arrests for campaigning against South African Apartheid and other social issues, Simon Chambers worked with the McLibel Campaign and as an AIDS researcher for a prostitutes’ collective. While at the NFTS, he began to develop ways to make films about important issues in an entertaining way. His graduation film, ‘The Company We Keep’, won the Royal Television Society’s Best Factual Film Award in the postgraduate category.
General sponsor
Every Good Marriage Begins With Tears
Great Britain
2006, 62', color, video
Directed by:
Simon Chambers
Cinematography:
Simon Chambers
Edited by:
Emiliano Battista, Benjamin Putland
Music:
Rabindranath Tagore
Producer:
Simon Chambers
Produced by:
Simon Chambers
