A Suitable Girl (film)
{{short description|2017 Documentary film}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| name = A Suitable Girl
| image = A_Suitable_Girl_poster.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| native_name =
| director = {{plainlist|
}}
| producer = {{plainlist|
- Cal Amir (exec.)
- Antara Bhardwaj (associate)
- Sarita Khurana
- Smriti Mundhra
- Jennifer Tiexiera
}}
| writer = {{plainlist|
- Sarita Khurana
- Smriti Mundhra
- Jennifer Tiexiera
}}
| screenplay =
| story =
| based_on =
| starring =
| narrator =
| music = {{plainlist|
- Saul Simon MacWilliams
- Gingger Shankar
}}
| cinematography = {{plainlist|
- Naiti Gámez
- Shivani Khattar
- André de Alencar Lyon
}}
| editing = Jennifer Tiexiera
| studio = The Marriage Brokers
| distributor = Collective Eye Films
| released = {{Film date|df=y|2017|04|22|ref1=}}
| runtime = 90 minutes{{cite web|url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/a-suitable-girl|title=A Suitable Girl|website=Common Sense Media|author=Shulgasser-Parker, Barbara}}
| country =
| language =
| budget =
| gross =
}}
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{{cite web|url=http://www.sawcc.org/sawcc-co-presents-screening-of-a-suitable-girl-with-directors-sarita-khurana-and-smriti-mundhra-saturday-april-7th-2-5pm/|title=Screening of "A Suitable Girl" with Directors Sarita Khurana and Smriti Mundhra – Saturday, April 7, 2–5PM|date=7 March 2018|website=SAWCC}} 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.{{Cite news|last=Kathryn Shattuck|date=2018-04-06|title=This Week: Getting Crafty in the Bronx, 'Paterno,' Eric B. & Rakim on Tour|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/06/arts/bronx-arts-paterno-eric-b-rakim.html|access-date=2020-05-21|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web|title=Directors use film to speak on social issues at 2017 Tribeca Film Festival|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/directors-use-film-speak-social-issues-2017-tribeca-film-festival-n747576|website=NBC News|language=en|access-date=2020-05-15}}{{Cite journal|last=Bender|first=Abbey|date=2018|title=A Suitable Girl|journal=Pine Magazine|number=2|pages=108–110}}{{Cite web|title=Award-Winning Desi Directors Tackle Arranged Marriage Stigma in 'A Suitable Girl'|url=https://www.colorlines.com/articles/award-winning-desi-directors-tackle-arranged-marriage-stigma-suitable-girl|last=Rao|first=Sameer|date=2017-04-28|website=COLORLINES|language=en|access-date=2020-05-20}}{{Cite web|title=Women Killing It|url=https://womenyoushouldknow.net/filmmaker-sarita-khurana-south-asian-stories/|last=Hubbard|first=Sally|date=2018-10-23|website=Women You Should Know®|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-14|archive-date=25 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200125015140/https://womenyoushouldknow.net/filmmaker-sarita-khurana-south-asian-stories/|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|title=Three Weddings and a Documentary|url=https://www.vice.com/en_in/article/neknk7/three-weddings-and-a-documentary|last=Choudhury|first=Bedatri Datta|date=2018-05-28|website=Vice|language=en|access-date=2020-04-14}}{{Cite web|title=Heart of the Matter|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/art-and-culture/a-suitable-girl-vikram-seth-heart-of-the-matter-5-4908152/|last=Majumdar|first=Anushree|date=2017-10-27|website=The Indian Express|language=en|access-date=2020-05-21}}{{Cite news|title=Analysis {{!}} India has changed a lot in 70 years. But arranged marriage remains the norm.|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/soloish/wp/2017/05/02/india-has-changed-a-lot-in-70-years-but-arranged-marriage-remains-the-norm/|last=Das|first=Kavita|newspaper=Washington Post|language=en|access-date=2020-05-21}}{{Cite web|title='A Suitable Girl': Film Review {{!}} Tribeca 2017|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/a-suitable-girl-996884|last=Scheck|first=Frank|date=24 April 2017|website=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en|access-date=2020-05-21}} The film has also been screened at the British Film Institute Festival, Mumbai Film Festival, AFI Docs, Amazon and Netflix.{{Cite web|title=Indian American Filmmakers Sarita Khurana, Anula Shetty Named 2020 CAAM Fellows|url=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|last=Reporter|first=India-West Staff|website=India West|language=en|access-date=2020-05-21|archive-date=20 July 2020|archive-url=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|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|title=In Her View film season announced for HOME Manchester|url=https://aboutmanchester.co.uk/in-her-view-film-season-announced-for-home-manchester/|last=Barlow|first=Nigel|date=2019-11-21|website=About Manchester|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-05-21}} In 2018, Library Journal reviewed and recommended the film be included in library collections.{{Cite journal|last=Druda|first=Ellen|date=2018-11-01|title=Media Review: A Suitable Girl|journal=Library Journal|volume=143|issue=18|via=Education Research Complete}}
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.{{Cite web|title=Tribeca 2017 Women Directors|url=https://womenandhollywood.com/tribeca-2017-women-directors-meet-smriti-mundhra-and-sarita-khurana-a-suitable-girl-6708f9a1f853/|last=Allen|first=Joseph|date=21 April 2017|website=womenandhollywood.com|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-25}}{{cite web|url=https://decider.com/2018/04/02/a-suitable-girl-documentary-review/|title='A Suitable Girl' Sheds Light On The Unequal Sacrifices Women In Arranged Marriages Are Required To Make|author=Menon, Radhika|date=2 April 2018|website=Decider}}{{cite web|url=https://www.collectiveeye.org/products/a-suitable-girl|title=A Suitable Girl|website=Collective Eye Films}}{{cite web|url=http://theaerogram.com/a-suitable-girl/|title=A Suitable Girl Profiles the Journeys of Three Women Navigating the Next Step — Marriage|author=Misra, Anjali|date=17 November 2018|website=The Aerogram}}{{cite web|url=https://pacificaffairs.ubc.ca/film-reviews/a-suitable-girl-directed-by-sarita-khurana-and-smriti-mundhra/|title=A SUITABLE GIRL – Directed by Sarita Khurana and Smriti Mundhra|date=7 January 2020|website=The University of British Columbia}}
Cast
- Dipti Admane, a 29-year-old schoolteacher who lives with her parents near Mumbai.{{cite web|url=https://blackgirlnerds.com/bgn-film-review-a-suitable-girl/|title=BGN Film Review: 'A Suitable Girl'|website=Black Girl Nerds|date=26 September 2018|author=Sezín Koehler}}
- Amrita Jhanwar, a party and career girl in her mid-20s living in New Delhi.
- Ritu Taparia, a 24-year-old who works in Mumbai's financial district.
- Sima Taparia, a matchmaker and the mother of Ritu. She would later appear as the host of Mundhra's next project, Indian Matchmaking.
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.{{Cite news|last=Cornelious|first=Deborah|date=2019-09-14|title='Ready or Not' review: Here comes the bride|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/reviews/here-comes-the-bride/article29415191.ece|access-date=2020-05-21|issn=0971-751X}}{{Cite web|title='A Suitable Girl' Doc Explores Arranged Marriage in India (Exclusive Video)|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/a-suitable-girl-doc-explores-arranged-marriage-india-video-995096|last=Lee|first=Ashley|date=18 April 2017|website=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=2020-05-21}}{{cite web|url=https://theknockturnal.com/exclusive-director-sarita-khurana-on-making-a-suitable-girl/|title=Exclusive: Director Sarita Khurana On Making 'A Suitable Girl|author=Haber, Liam|date=1 April 2018|website=The Knockturnal}}
Reception
The film received generally positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 88%, based on 16 reviews.{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_suitable_girl|title=A SUITABLE GIRL|website=Rotten Tomatoes}} Many praised the film for having an unbiased look at the marriage customs in India.{{cite web|url=https://www.themarysue.com/a-suitable-girl-review/|title=Review: A Suitable Girl Is a Nuanced Look at Marriage and Tradition in India|author=Jao, Charline|date=28 April 2017|website=The Mary Sue}}{{cite web|url=https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/a-suitable-girl-2017-film-review-by-jennie-kermode|title=A Suitable Girl|author=Kermode, Jennie|date=27 March 2018|website=Eye For Film}}{{cite web|url=https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2017/04/25/tribeca-film-festival-review-a-suitable-girl|title=TRIBECA Film Festival Review: A SUITABLE GIRL|author=O'Neal, Kristen|date=25 April 2017|website=Birth.Movies.Death.}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nuvo.net/screens/heartland-cultural-journey-review-a-suitable-girl/article_8d1e8dda-828f-11e7-a5b1-d76d5ba85c57.html|title=Heartland Cultural Journey Review: A Suitable Girl|author=Coplen, Katherine|date=16 August 2017|website=Nuvo}}{{cite web|url=https://mubi.com/notebook/posts/in-defense-of-tribeca-closing-notes-from-the-2017-film-festival|title=In Defense of Tribeca: Closing Notes from the 2017 Film Festival|date=3 May 2017|author=Suh, Elissa|website=Mubi}}{{cite web|url=https://www.filmcompanion.in/film-festivals/mumbai-film-festival/8-hidden-gems-at-mumbai-film-festival-2017/|title=8 Hidden Gems At Mumbai Film Festival 2017|date=9 October 2017|author=Desai, Rahul|website=Film Companion}}{{cite web|url=https://jezebel.com/becoming-an-unsuitable-girl-1794923371|title=Becoming an Unsuitable Girl|website=Jezebel|author=Gupta, Prachi|date=30 May 2017}}
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."{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/a-suitable-girl-996884|title='A Suitable Girl': Film Review – Tribeca 2017|author=Scheck, Frank|date=24 April 2017|website=The Hollywood Reporter}} 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)."{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/a-suitable-girl-review-1202023694/|title=Film Review: 'A Suitable Girl'|website= Variety|author=Schager, Nick|date=22 April 2017}} Barbara Shulgasser-Parker of Common Sense Media gave the film a 3/5 rating, stating that it "wisely tells its absorbing story without narration."
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."{{cite web|url=https://rogersmovienation.com/2018/03/26/movie-review-arranged-marriages-for-a-suitable-girl-are-more-complicated-than-you-think/|title=Movie Review: Arranged marriages for "A Suitable Girl" are more complicated than you think|date=26 March 2018|website=Movie Nation|author=Moore, Roger}}
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.{{cite web|url=https://filmthreat.com/reviews/a-suitable-girl/|title=A SUITABLE GIRL|date=1 April 2018|website=Film Threat|author=Parcellin, Paul}}
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."{{cite web|url=https://www.theyoungfolks.com/film/101761/movie-review-a-suitable-girl/|title=Tribeca Review: A Suitable Girl|website=The Young Folks|author=Hood, Nathaniel|date=22 April 2017}} Wendy Ide of Screen Daily criticized the film, saying that the film provides little insight of a "vast and complex subject."{{cite web|url=https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/a-suitable-girl-tribeca-review/5116660.article|title='A Suitable Girl': Tribeca Review|author=Ide, Wendy|date=22 April 2017|website=Screen Daily}}
Awards and nominations
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" |
| style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;"
! scope="col" | Award ! scope="col" | Date of ceremony ! scope="col" | Category ! scope="col" | Recipient(s) ! scope="col" | Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | {{Abbr|Ref.|References}} |
| Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award
|rowspan="4"|6 February 2017 |Best New Documentary Filmmaker |Sarita Khurana, Smriti Mundhra |{{won}} |
| rowspan="2"|Best Editing
|Best Editing in a Documentary Film |{{nom}} |align="center"|{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6604050/awards?ref_=tt_awd|title=A Suitable Girl (2017) – Awards|website=IMDb}} {{unreliable source?|date=July 2021}} |
| Best Editing in a Documentary Feature Film
|Jennifer Tiexiera |{{nom}} |
| Jury Award
|Best Documentary Feature |Sarita Khurana, Smriti Mundhra |{{nom}} |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|tt6604050}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suitable Girl}}
Category:2017 documentary films