Diane Crespo and Stefan C. Schaefer's low-key film revolves around two young Brooklyn teachers who reach across the religious divide to become friends.
Nasira (Francis Benhamou) and Rochel (Zoe Lister Jones) have many things in common. Both are smart, witty, curious young women who come from traditional families and take their faith seriously, but also see no inherent contradiction between being devout and living a full life in 21st-century America. Both are assigned to the same Brooklyn school, a microcosm of America's chaotic blend of conflicting beliefs and cultures, and become friends despite the fact that Nasira is Muslim and Rochel is an Orthodox Jew. Their friendship acts as a buffer against the incredulity of secular (or secularized) Americans like the school's Jewish principal, Mrs. Jacoby (Marcia Jean Kurtz), who wonder loudly why intelligent young women would voluntarily submit to customs that curtail their personal freedom and set them apart from the mainstream culture. Their families, while polite and supportive of tolerance in the abstract, are less than enthusiastic, concerned that their daughters' camaraderie will spur gossip — or worse — within their tight-knit communities. Nevertheless, the bond only deepens when their respective families begin the process of arranging marriages. Both women experience misgivings as they're presented with thoroughly unsuitable suitors (cue the inevitable bad-date montage!), but Nasira embraces a wait-and-see attitude while Rochel becomes increasing disenchanted, even seeking out a cousin who left the Orthodox community rather than live within its strictures.
Schaefer and Crespo's message isn’t subtle, but they give it a fresh face by focusing on women whose identities are shaped but not warped by piety and devotion to ancient cultural values. Certain supporting characters, particularly among Rochel's family and neighbors, are broadly drawn. But the stereotypes are affectionate rather than mocking, and Benhamou and Jones' delicate, nuanced performances are only more impressive by contrast. leave a comment --Maitland McDonagh
