Every Good Marriage Begins with Tears (2006)

• 75%
• 2006
• Documentary
• Simon Chambers
• Shahanara Begum
• Hushnara Begum
• Simon Chambers

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.