Three years after the 1994 Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi minority, the protagonist, Eva, is kidnapped by a stranger and forced into a marriage. She then finds a confidante in the form of her husband’s cousin and discovers the family’s traumatic past. She is torn between staying and running away. With dreams of attending medical school hanging in the air, her conservative aunt forces her to accept the new situation.
Nonetheless, the film is not about the genocide and its aftereffects, nor is it about the blotted-out Rwandese cliche of forced marriages. The Bride is about an abducted girl who develops a deep and affectionate friendship with her husband’s cousin. They share stories of their families and what happened to them during the genocide. The film fundamentally focuses on these two girls entirely who bond to forge a relationship in the strangest of situations.
The director’s portrayal of a friendship that develops alongside a forced marriage and how this allows the subject of the genocide to find its way into the narrative in a calm way is quite impressive. The Bride is directed by Myriam Uwiragiye Birara. This is Myriam’s debut film, and the director has the potential to blossom with the right motivation.
The film’s cast includes Sandra Umulisa (Eva), Aline Amike, Daniel Gaga, Fabiola Mukasekuru, Beata Mukakamanzi and Justin Musabyeyezu.
The film’s production design serves to form a distinct visual language that sets in feelings of nostalgia which somewhat elevates the story. The 1990s East African home setting with the surrounding flora and fauna elicits a longing in the audience to return home, at least in thought. The set design plays a big role in the shaping of The Bride’s scope and vision. Simply put, there are many backstory ideas that are acknowledged throughout the set. The living room ambience, the old age African artwork, the utensils and the entire kitchen set up, the furniture. All this is responsible for evoking those powerful and emotional feelings for East Africans.
The Bride is a film with poor storytelling, lazy character arcs and horrid acting. The protagonist shows no vulnerability whatsoever, shows zero facial expressions despite her plight as a character, and there are so many yawning narrative holes. The end goal of filmmaking is storytelling, and The Bride fails.
There is a reason why people defend movies that are bad in storytelling, the ‘neo-genre’. This is because when storytelling fails, it does not mean that the component of the film has failed. The Bride is engrossed with the beautiful element of symbolism whilst consciously acknowledging its emotional connection.
The film’s screenplay is in Kinyarwanda, the Rwandese native language giving a deeper connection with its relative audience. The film has English subtitles.
One of the best things about this film is that it’s so relatable and the filmmaker takes a leap of faith by reminding us of one of the most important subjects of life, friendship. I recommend everyone to watch this film.
