Brides (15)

(Subtitled)

In her first feature, Nadia Fall delivers a gripping, conversation-stirring drama about teenage female friendship, loyalty, and risky choices.

Set in England in 2014, Brides follows Muna (Safiyya Ingar) and Doe (Ebada Hassan), two British Muslim best friends who flee their troubled home lives in search of a new start. At first, their giggles, milkshake-fuelled games, and playful banter suggest a carefree escapade. But it soon becomes clear that their journey has high stakes: they are heading toward Syria, with Istanbul as a fraught waypoint.

El-Bushra’s screenplay, energetic and incident-packed, carefully balances the girls’ joy and mischief with an undercurrent of tension, showing their motivations and vulnerabilities without sensationalising their choices. Hassan’s subtle restraint and Ingar’s radiant charisma capture the contrasting personalities that make their bond believable and urgent. Their loyalty, courage, and occasional recklessness feel lived-in, while Fall’s direction vividly conveys both the allure and the menace of unfamiliar cities and the unknown road ahead.

A tense, humane, and darkly witty study of adolescence, identity, and the unshakable pull of friendship at the edge of the world.